Got any good winter storage tips?

[Russ Dickey]

Since the cold, nasty weather has descended upon the Kansas city area, I've decided that it's probably time to put the Cobra up for the winter. I probably won't drive it again until late February or March (or whenever the first good rainfall clears all the salt from the roads).

I've already topped off the gas tank to prevent condensation build-up, but what other tips can you guys offer me for proper hibernation?

Thanks,
Russ

[Rick Parker]

Make sure you have a good mix of coolant/antifreeze to prevent any corrosion within any aluminum being used on engine and cooling system.
Good coat of wax.

Last year there was a post regarding the clear plastic "Bags" that a car could be stored within that were inflated or had a fan force feeding air into it?? I am unable to find the picture or thread, can any one assist????

Rick

[Wayne Maybury]

I always remove the carb and empty the float bowls. It is very easy to refill them in the spring through the vent tubes. If you decide to leave the carb off the engine, make sure that you put tape over the opening on the top of the intake.

I also have fairly strong valve springs so I slacken off the adjustments on those valves that are open. I normally place #1 at TDC before touching the valves. I will be also removeing the distributor this year to check the gear for wear.

Since I don't use much antifreeze in the Cobra, I also drain the rad just in case the heat goes off in the garage at some point during the winter. I don't want to even think about a cracked block.

I normally place the car on jack stands for two reasons. Firstly, it takes the load off the suspension, wheel bearings, etc. Secondly, it gives me better access to underneath the car so that I can inspect everything when I have nothing else to do.

In addition to all of the above, I also seem to pull half of the car apart looking for potential problems or just for something to do. Two years ago I pulled the engine and covered the foot boxes with aluminium. That was fun and it kept me busy.

Have fun this winter,
Wayne

[speed220mph]

Hi Russ,
Now that you've filled the gas tank, put a jug of StaBil in the tank to preserve the gas. Drive your car around the block to mix the StaBil and to get it through the fuel line, filter, pump and carburetor float bowls. I also recommend adding Zmax (or AvBlend) to the oil before you take your last drive of 2003. This stuff will proctect internal engine components from corrosion and provide dry-start lubrication when you fire up your engine in the Spring.

[REDSC400]

High Rick and Russ:

If you are heating your garage, Watch out for Mice setting up residence atop your engine and inside your upholstered seats. These areas trap heat. Perhaps begin a good "mouse abatement" program just to be on the safe side. (I have already "abated" a few since October, as it were)

Disconnect your battery from the power cables, even though you may have a kill switch. Bring the battery into a heated area and keep it off of the cement floor. (may be a wives' tale but it works for me).

Some advocate pulling your plugs and spraying some Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders and then (with the coil wire off) turning the engine over a few times to disperse the oil. I have not done this myself yet. Put the old plugs back in.

I am not fully well versed in the pros and cons of putting the car up on jack stands and taking the load off of the suspension. I suspect this would work best if you also take off the rims and tires at that time to reduce sprung weight. Also would give you a chance to clean the rims and tires and all the suspension parts real nice.

Setting up some sort of heat source or dehumidification could be good. There are these golden rods which are used to heat gun cabinets and safes and motor homes. Again, be careful of mice.
If your garage is not heated and will freeze, then a normal dehumidifier will not work in sub freezing conditions too well or so I have been told. It may just ice up solid.

Most advocate changing your engine oil and filter prior to lay up for the winter so as to get acids and latent water vapor out of the crank. Makes sense to me.

The use of Stabil gasoline stabilizer in the fuel tank???

I am all ears on this topic and would love to hear what others say.
Thanks for asking that question.

[speed220mph]

Art;
You indicate a question about StaBil: It's cheap and you can get it from any auto-parts store. The stuff keeps gasoline from breaking down, or turning into varnish. This shouldn't be a problem in a cool garage, but it won't hurt anything . . . it's only precautionary. Put the stuff in your weedeater and lawn mower while you're at it. They will all start easier in the spring.

Disconnecting the battery is fine, but don't let it discharge. Either use a battery tender or trickle-charge it once a month. A discharged battery will freeze at higher temperatures, so this is important in cold clims in an unheated garage.

As for spraying Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders, that's Ok. Using Zmax eliminates the need for this, though.

Wayne,
As for draining the float bowls, this is asking for trouble if your engine is topped with an early style Holley carb(s). Fuel in the bowls keeps the gaskets from drying out, which will cause major leaks between the metering blocks and throttle body. I've lived with this problem over the years with the 3X2 setup on my 289.

Changing oil is a good thing to do. As for putting a car up on jack stands, I'm not sure about the value of doing this unless you want to pull the wheels in readiness for your Spring time lube job, brake inspection, brake-fluid change and general cleanup/undercar inspection. But I've got to think that it is best for a car to sit at ride height when stored. Just make sure the tires are inflated proberly.

Finally, a procedure for those obsesive compulsive types; fill the tires with Nitrogen after you've removed them, "pickle" your engine then seal it, slather it with grease or cosmolene on all machined surfaces, then seal your car in a big plastic bag after putting desicant in it. This is what John Horsman of John Wyer Racing did with the GT40's after every racing season!

[rdorman]

Start it every once in a while.
Rick

[casaleenie]

Originally posted by Wayne Maybury


I always remove the carb and empty the float bowls. It is very easy to refill them in the spring through the vent tubes. If you decide to leave the carb off the engine, make sure that you put tape over the opening on the top of the intake.

I also have fairly strong valve springs so I slacken off the adjustments on those valves that are open. I normally place #1 at TDC before touching the valves. I will be also removeing the distributor this year to check the gear for wear.

Since I don't use much antifreeze in the Cobra, I also drain the rad just in case the heat goes off in the garage at some point during the winter. I don't want to even think about a cracked block.

I normally place the car on jack stands for two reasons. Firstly, it takes the load off the suspension, wheel bearings, etc. Secondly, it gives me better access to underneath the car so that I can inspect everything when I have nothing else to do.

In addition to all of the above, I also seem to pull half of the car apart looking for potential problems or just for something to do. Two years ago I pulled the engine and covered the foot boxes with aluminium. That was fun and it kept me busy.

Have fun this winter,
Wayne

Wayne,

Any chance you could do a house call for me??????

[Bob In Ct]

I would feel safer starting the old motor every 2 or 3 weeks and letting it come up to temperature rather than adding who knows what to the oil and gas. Fill the tank before putting it away. I keep a 60 watt light bulb going in the cockpit (it's on the brake pedal on a clip - Home Depot). By keeping the wiring warmer than the surrounding air it prevents condensation.

Loosening the valve springs is unnecessary. The springs do not fatigue when sitting still, which is what they do 99% of the time even in warm weather. I also keep a light bulb going under the crankcase to keep the oil warm. That way when I do start it, the oil moves. Use 5W-30 synthetic. It will flow in a hurry in the cold weather.

If you store it on the tires, roll the car to a different position every so often to prevent flatspotting. If you drive it in the cold cover the oil cooler (foam or sponge) and cover lower 1/3 of the radiator so that the returning coolant is warmer than the ambient.

Do not cover the car with plastic, it traps moisture!

Bob

[bnewell]

This worked for me last winter. The constant running fan kept the moisture out and also the mice.




Brian

[Wayne Maybury]

rdorman
Actually it is best to not start the engine once in a while unless you are going to allow it to warm up fully. The gas doesn't burn completely in a cold engine so you will get lots of residue of partially burnt gasoline staying inside the engine. You can do more harm than good doing this.

casaleenie
Got any beer?


Another thing I do is to change the oil and filter in the fall. As far as placing the car on jack stands, this does give me the chance to check the brakes as well as clean up the suspension parts.

My engine builder suggested that I release the valve springs for those valves that are open. Only takes a few minutes and it certainly doesn't hurt them. Again, this depends on the type of springs and cam you have. Certainly not necessary on a mild hydraulic cam.

So far I have not had a problem with any Holley gasket leaks.

Mice? Don't leave the garage doors open in the fall and don't leave anything eatable laying around. These little critters can make a real mess if they get into a car. You can spread a few moth balls around on the floor under the car, they won't come close to moth balls. Don't put them in the car however or it will really stink in the spring. You can always borrow Jamo's cat.

Wayne

[REDSC400]

I have heard that mice do not like the smell of "Bounce" sheets that are used to make clohing fluffy and static free in the dryer. I do not know if there is any truth to that information at all. The mothballs sound interesting but grandmother-ish (not that there is anything wrong with that).

[rdorman]

Yes of course I let it fully warm up. I never completely put the car away for the winter. I never leave the car alone long enough to worry about storage. But if I did, I would change the fluids, start it on occasion and let it completely warm up and move it a little to prevent flat spots, dry rot, get some lube up on the gears, etc, and add some fuel stabilizer. Then put the car cover back on it. Nothing else is required. But, there sure is a lot you can do!

I am reading this thread correctly. Are all of you seriously saying that you put you car to bed and don't touch it until next spring? What will power! If I don't drive it for a while I start to get the shakes and cold chills! I supliment the lack of driving time due to bad weather with projects on the car. Cold, no problem..... put the top on, dress warm, crank up the heater.

Mice, get a cat, don't feed it, no mice problem!!

Storage, what a concept

Rick

[wilf leek]

Since there is little discernible difference in England's weather between winter and summer, I just drive it all year round! I do draw the line at snow & ice however, not that we get more than a few day's worth each year.

Dehumidifier in the garage works well tho'.

[speed220mph]

Bob,
Got some suggestions: First, never run an engine for a short while, then shut it down, even though it comes up to temperature unless: Once started and up to temp, run your engine under load for at least 1/2 hour. Unless you have a chassis dyno, this means getting the car out on the road. If you don't, this will not boil off the bad stuff that's already in the oil and it will cause further condensation, thus more water in the oil and the resulting corrosion. On the other hand, the light bulb is a great idea . . . a cheap oil heater.

As for the "who knows what" in the oil and gas, Avblend (Zmax) is FAA approved and has worked in aircraft for years. It's a cut above Marvel Mystery Oil and you know what that is. An engine builder friend used it in Unlimited Aircraft racing engines (Rolls Merlins) as a prelube and corrosion inhibitor. As for Stabil, it's been around for years, too. Where it got its start was in boats, which get laid up for the Winter just like our Cobras.

Brian,
I really like that tent. Perfect for a car that has to sit out the Winter.

As for mice and pack rats, there's not much you can do to keep them out if they want in except get a cat. But who wants a cat parading around on their Cobra?

Wayne,
No problem with Holley gaskets!! So you're the one.

[Rick Parker]

Ah..the perverbial cat. Reminds me of when my wife and I were newlyweds (1974) I had a very nice Signal Orange Porsche 911S with the earliest of flairs and a whale tail decklid. My wife had a cat that I hated but it was the price of admission (if you know what I mean). The cat stayed in the garage and one night it decided to get up on the whale tail and Sh*t in the oil cooler opening. All over the oil cooler, fittings and down in the engine compartment, that was fun to clean up. Cat turned up missing shortly thereafter, I think it got "out of the garage"?!

Here kitty kitty kitty.................you little..........

Rick.

[Lowell W]

I used to put moth balls in the Jeep I use for a snowplow, until I found a mouse nest in the glove box, on top of the moth balls. Now I buy the poison mouse bait packets by the bucket. Every now and then I find or smell a dead mouse, but it beats having the little f'ers nesting in my stuff. The cats are too well fed to bother chasing mice unless a mouse gets really careless.

I put Sta-Bil in everything.

[BlueRooster]

Can/would a mouse go in through the side pipes and nest up toward the heads? If so, maybe you could rubberband a heavy ziplock bag around each pipe.

[TerrysSPF]

Blue Rooster........try tennis balls in the side pipes. Just don't push them too far!

I had a 69 Z-28 that developed flat spots in the tires one winter, so I would suggest putting the car up on blocks / jacks, or at least move it from time to time. If you take the tires off, don't forget the anti seize.

I'm a big fan of the "trickle" chargers for the battery. I would suggest getting one that has a auto shut-off (when not needed) vs. the ones that are always on. Sta-bil for the fuel, z-max for the oil, cat for the mice, and heated garage. .......damn winters!

[Mark Roe]

Or--

Since Alnold was elected gov--ya'll could move out here and drive 12 months out of the year

Mark