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By Professor Longroof - 16 Years Ago
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I know this is mainly an engine forum, but I feel this query is somewhat related... This will be my first Northeast Ohio winter storing my 55 Ford Country Sedan wagon. (272 engine) Other than Sta-Bil in the gas tank and a "float" charger what else can you recommend? I'm getting conflicting opinions from people. Just want to do it right. By the way,in regards to my earlier post, it was a bent pushrod.Rocker arm retaining nut worked loose.
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By charliemccraney - 16 Years Ago
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Drive it all winter then you don't have to worry about that stuff!
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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Says the man from Atlanta!
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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I use Stabill and bring the battery home to charge. Should work ok. I don't think the stuck valve problem shows up after one winter storage very often. Chuck in NH
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By 56 big window - 16 Years Ago
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I top off the tank fully , and I don't add stabil. I remove the battery and keep it charged on a work bench.( the vapor emitted from a charging battery will cause corrosion . I wipe down the chrome with white vinegar dampened on a towel and rewipe with a dry one . Cover it and pretend it doesnt exist until the roads are swept clean late spring
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By charliemccraney - 16 Years Ago
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MoonShadow (12/16/2009)
Says the man from Atlanta!
Come on, you can't tell me they had to put the cars up during the winter in the 50s. If they could do it then they can do it now!
People even put them up around here. I don't get it. Not my cup of tea.
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By 55Birdman - 16 Years Ago
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you tell 'em Charlie. I drive my bird all the time in winter . When weather is bad I keep it inside. Other wise its on the road. I didnt spend all that money restoring it to leave it in the garage. my .02.
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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Good thinking on the full tank. I forgot to mention that one. I charge my battery on the bench too. Never heard about the white vinegar thing before. I stored the car last year in a large old concrete block chicken house. Unheated! The chrome was in really sad shape in the spring. Especially the parts with flat tops, like the parking light housings. Looked like corrosive moisture sat on them for a while. The, supposed to be, stainless tube grill was also pretty badly rusted! Chuck in NH
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By paul2748 - 16 Years Ago
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I think Sta-bil is a crock. It completely screwed up the carb on my son's car. I've had old cars for over 30 years and never used the stuff or another brand. I never had gas go bad on me, including the newer 10% ethanol. Just remove the ground cable and your all set. Once every two weeks or so, start it up and run it so it gets up to full operating temperature. Better yet, do it on a clear day and just take it out and exercise it - the tires will love you.
Never store it over dirt. Put down one of these cheap blue tarps if you have to, cover the entire floor.
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By Bob's 55 - 16 Years Ago
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MoonShadow (12/16/2009)
The, supposed to be, stainless tube grill was also pretty badly rusted! Chuck in NH
Chuck, unfortunately not all stainless is the same. There are different grades of stainless (not stain proof). The different alloys that make up the stainless steel make it more resistant to corrosion and stains (like the good brightwork on your '56 compared to the crap they obviously used on your custom grill.
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By Gordie T - 16 Years Ago
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Lots of good ideas. Here in cool ol' Ontario, I top up gas tank, put stabil in, hook up a battery tender to it...not a trickle charger, spray all chrome and anything shiny with wd40...makes a mess but never have rust spots in the spring, I put Bounce sheets in the car to keep mice out, and I roll moth balls under the car around the floor. Bounce smells better...top up the tires, and put my cover over it..I park it on plywood squares on top of my concrete floor..
Come spring I pump the pedal 10 times and it starts every time....a good wash and we're ready.
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By Flying Jester - 16 Years Ago
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Boy, you guys are a lot more motivated than I am...I've never winterized a car, and I live in Alaska!
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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I have one of those overhead/infrared heaters in my attached two-car garage. Runs on propane and needs no electrical source. Keeps minimum temp above 40 degrees, and since I also have a 6 mil plastic vapor barrier under the Bird, typical rust due to condensation from water vapor that comes up through bare concrete not a problem. Since the wall between garage and living space minimally insulated, energy cost is less than heating a free-standing structure. Side benefit is extended life for my daily grocery-getter (16 yrs./250K mi., still looks new). Nothing better than jumping into a warm car when it's 10 below outside.
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By Doug T - 16 Years Ago
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I agree with Dan, keep it slightly warm and dry especially and not too much trouble will occur due too rusting of the bodywork. I would not drive an early T bird in wet and cold days unless absolutely necessary because there are so many places, especially in the door A columns, for rust to eat away. If there has been salt on the roads I wait for a good rain to wash it away. When I got my T bird there were almost no floors between the trany tunnel and rocker panels and the A columns ended halfway between the hinges. It was an upstate New York car. You can not remove salt, it removes your car. BTW most T birds also rust from the inside because they leak water into the carpet which then causes corrosion in the floors especially if there is salt involved.
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By 56 big window - 16 Years Ago
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white vinegar is supposed to clean the contaminates from exhaust systems that fall out on unprotected surfaces such as chrome that cause corrosion and discloration
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By PF Arcand - 16 Years Ago
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Chuck: about the bright work rusting, in your storage. It could be that the concrete floor contains dampness & is permeated with residue from chicken droppings & urine, both are very corrosive. As for driving a vintage car in the winter, especially in northern cities where they salt the roads, that is a "death knell" for older cars. To be blunt, anyone driving a collector car in those conditions, needs their head examined!...
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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People that haven't lived up north can't relate to the amount of salt they put on the roads in the winter! Even new cars show rust after only a few years in this environment. Same goes for spring rains when the salt is being washed out of the roadways and ground. Since I don't have indoor storage for my cars I feel much better putting them away for a few months. It can make me pretty antsy on those nice sunny clear days with drys roads but? The bright work problem on the parking light housings was white and crusted in spots. Of course metal damage (pits) appeared beneath the spots. Didn't seem to effect the bumper though? Chuck
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By LordMrFord - 16 Years Ago
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Flying Jester (12/17/2009)
Boy, you guys are a lot more motivated than I am...I've never winterized a car, and I live in Alaska!
Cars dont rust in subzero.
BTW. Today was -25C / -13F in here. It was pretty cold when I was working outdoor on factory roof.
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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Actually its not the snow or sub zero temp that gets them. Its the salt that the road crews put down. There are a few locals, one with a 32 roadster and a 32 coupe, that you will see year round on the roads up here when the sun is shinning and the roads are clear. Chuck in NH
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By kevink1955 - 16 Years Ago
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Pull it in the garage in mid November with a full tank of gas and a fresh oil change, go out in April or May crank it for about 30 seconds till the oil pressure gauge moves then pump it a few times and it starts right up. No battery tender, no mid winter charge. I work on many battery equiped systems and what kills the batterys is the charger runing 24-7 and boiling the batterys. If you have a good battery it will hold a charge at least 6 months in our cars, in later model cars with computers and stereo systems that draw power all the time you need a maintainer charger but not in our cars.
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By rgrove - 16 Years Ago
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full tank, add stabil, change the oil, check the coolant to make sure it will protect down to anticipated temps. I use a Battery Tender to maintain the charge. Ive been using it on the same battery for 4 years, with no detrimental side effects. Car starts right up every spring. If you leave the battery connected but not on a maintenance charger, the clock will eventually kill the battery. It is important NOT to just use your regular battery charger though. I also fill up the tires to spec (a few lbs more actually), wash it, pull up the floor mats, leave the windows cracked a little bit, and cover it up. In the spring I change the oil again, lube the chassis, and im on my way. Also, I change the brake fluid every other year. That ritual has worked for the last 10 years or so and has been trouble free. As for chrome, I pretty much make sure its clean. And the garage is unheated, but attached, insulated, and has a painted floor. Thats what I do anyways, FWIW.
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By Bob's 55 - 16 Years Ago
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I do the same as rgrove when storing my car but I also put a couple of Goldenrod dehumidifiers in the interior (http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/introduction.htm). Don't know how well they work but figure they can't hurt. My garage is unheated and detached from the house.
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By idaho211 - 16 Years Ago
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I used to subscirbe to Mustang Monthly and they had some great ideas: Putting down heavy plastic has mentioned will cut down on the condensation, also unweighting the supension a little with stands will help the spings and suspension, and checking and flushing the drain holes that tend to clog up and start causing rust in the lower quarters. I kind of lean towards getting it out on a good dry day and driving it to burn out the condensation in the system but I can see in some areas they might not have that option.
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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I put a large/thick carpet remnant under the plastic vapor barrier. Helps keep the tires from flat-spotting, and makes a creeper totally unnecessary. Plastic is very slick, and long periods working under the car not at all uncomfortable.
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By Professor Longroof - 15 Years Ago
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I now know the best way to store my car for the winter. Take it to a mechanic to have a bent pushrod and rocker arm assembly retaining nut replaced. It's been there over two months.
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By Hollow Head - 15 Years Ago
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Just leave it outside under a blanket. Minus 20 degrees Celsius at the moment here  .
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By Y block Billy - 15 Years Ago
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Like Seppo said, just cover it and forget it, I have done that for years and never had a problem, as long as you are not driving it in the salt you will have no problems, Keep it off the grass, old carpets, plastic, Mill felts whatever underneath helps. Topping off with AV gas helps. The biggest problem up here is they are starting to use a calcium (which is a type of Lime) mix with the salt the last 5 years or so and that stuff is seriously corrosive, my 79 truck which wasn't that bad a truck was rusted to death after a couple years in the stuff. My Nephew has a body shop and they repair the dump trucks for the city that haul the stuff and new trucks only a couple years old, they have to replace the roofs all the time from drippings over the beds just eating the crap out of them.
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By rmk57 - 15 Years Ago
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I use the same idea someone posted earlier about using plywood under the car to prevent moisture from the concrete rusting a detailed undercarriage. I also cover my cars with heavy blankets and then lean more plywood against them to prevent accidental scrapes and knocks from other work I do in the garage. When these cars were driven all year around in the 50's did they even use road salt back then?
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