VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Winter Storage Time is coming nearer

Every fall I remove the plugs in my outboard and spray an anti-corrosive storage spray into each cylinder and replace the plugs to protect the engine and drain the lower end of the motor so water won't be trapped and crack it.
On the ol Chevy I have antifreeze protection to -35F ( which we get regularly up here) and plan to take the battery inside and put it on maintenance charge. Does any one do anything else to their cars like jack it up to take load off of tires, spray something into the engine for protection etc? I think it would be interesting to hear how other members prepare their cars for storage and whether the storage is heated or not. So what say you? How do you prepare your treasure for winter storage? :confused:

mo,
In addition to what you are planning, I get the weight off the tires, and place moth balls inside the Rumble and under the driver's seat to help keep the mice, and other rodents out, (the cat doesn't leave the warm house much in the winter). I have a cold toy box for the moment.
I change the oil after a nice New Hampshire Fall ride. I then drive it to gas station one last time, and add gasoline stabilizer to the tank then I fill it up for storage, (expensive but worth it). I store the tank full to keep condensation to a minimum. I like to drive it a little before I store it to circulate the clean oil, and to be sure the treated gas makes it to the carb. I do the same with all my summer engines. I have not had any problems with spring start ups since I started doing these things.
I used to decide what kind of year I was going have, by how easily my old kick start Sportster would start in the spring, (3 kicks, or 30 , aka spring work out).

Good luck, Dan.

Moe......dido on the "unweighting" and "fuel stabalizer". (which you know you can buy here in town!) ....I did....and do ! Don R.

I talked to a 27 Chevrolet owner in Minnasota and he stores his car inside in a unheated garage, he does all this and also fogs the engine , runs it at a fast idle and sucks some Marvel Mystery oil in thru a vacuum line or adds some to the vacuum tank and when it chokes down on the MMO shuts off the ignition and leaves it this way during the winter. Here in Texas we can drive our cars almost any week in nice sunny weather, in fact we drive the old cars more in the winter (no air conditioning needed). I fog it anyway every other year when I change the anti-freeze and coolant, seems to smooth out and run better for me.

Now, let me tell ya' what I do for my car during the winter..........
I just get in it, start it up, go for a little spin, go to work or get groceries. Ocassionally, I even close the windows when I ride around, but not too often. Oh, and I put gas in the tank and change the oil regurlarly. I do check the water level in the radiator also. That's about all I ever do in the winter, ya' see, I live in Florida! Eat your hearts out guys. I drive my car all year around!

Well, here's what I do with my car for winter storage. I get in the back seat with 10 cases of beer and my Elvira life size blow up doll and I don't come out until spring! I think that they call that "Junkyard Dog Hibernation".......? :confused: :confused:

I think that we call that a Red Neck tour of duty JYD.

It works for me!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Got to agree with oldcrank gas it up and go in the winter no 'skeeters

Tom from Florida!

You guys down south are lucky!! Up here we get 3 feet of snow - -35F - and enough salt on the road to choke a french fry By Oct. 30 we have our first snow fall--double For winter storage of engine - how does removing spark plugs and squirting oil into each cylinder then replace spark plugs loosely and crank engine over twice sound? Unfortunately no Marvel Oil up here- and yes I have looked! My favorite winter past time is to sit in front of the wood burning stove and !!!!

Hey Moedip! Got ya covered on the Ya! ha ha!

Generally I don't squirt oil in the cylinders.
I know what you mean about the snow and salt, Moe, we have been known to get that and more. In fact, the year before last we had 30 plus inches in March alone,

Hi K1dan - The car stays in storage for 8 months and I worry that rust will form on the upper cylinder walls if not protected in some way.
Maurice

What do I do for winter??? :confused:

Some days I can't put the top down for all day.

when I'm driving the car. :cool2:

Winter? Do you mean there is such a thing in Florida?? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Yeah - that's when the temps dip down to the low 70's there - Brrrrrrr!!! :(

Thats the -70's by the way.....lol

I always change oil, add gasoline and stabilizer unless (for the 3rd time) I have to pull the tank because of a fuel leak or some such. I run the engine long enough to get fresh stabilized fuel in the carb, pull the plugs shoot a little oil in the cylinders and then about every week or so I find a reason to start it to check timing, or adjust the clutch and on and on and on.

The way you can tell it is winter time is when the "snowbirds" come south. :( :( :(

What about the "snow buzzards" like they have in Texas?? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

JYD, the Texas Bearded Snow-Buzzards are now an endangered species, they have been decimated by the Michigan and Minnisota Snowbirds, they hunt them unlawfully at their nesting grounds (flea markets). The Bearded Snow-Buzzard is considered a delicacy when micro-waved or grilled by these imported snowbirds.

How about that?! Here in Oregon, we prefer to eat crow instead! It's good for your prostrate, and we also call crow "brain food"! Hum.......I wonder why it ain't workin' ?????

JYD, I think in your case it may just take a lot of crow and a whole lot of time..............

Maybe I ain't a drinkin' enough beer with the crow! Ya know.....when ya eat up them crows off of the highway, they ain't all that tasty.....they kinda taste like rubber tires if ya know what I mean! But, what the heck.....Junkyard Dogs will eat anthing....even your leg! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

yep whe the snowbirds come down you have to put antifreeze in not for the cold but because the traffic and you cant find a turn siginal flasher annywhere cause thereall sold out fixin the ones that burn up cause they don't ever turn them off!!!