winter storage/hard soft top
10-30-2010, 06:43 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
winter storage/hard soft top
well with only a month at best of driveable weather here in NYC area I put this question out there for review ! store car with hard top on soft top down or soft top up hard to in the warm house ! the soft top was left up last year with no trouble ! I store car in a dry unheated garage , with roof vents !, and a cloth cover.also use gas stablizer and do start car once a month or more !all we can hope for is a mild winter and fast warm spring time .this years to do list seems short , that is a good thing will be year two owning the C-1
10-30-2010, 07:29 PM
#3
Racer
Store with vinyl top up.
Best to store with the vinyl top up. Unclip the rear latches so the rear bow does not impress the paint on the rear deck. Especially if you have a white top, cover the soft top with a bedsheet or similar. Even with the car covered, dust filters through.
Starting your car periodically is not recommended for many reasons. If you do start it, be sure to run it long enough to dry the exhaust system and internal engine components completely.
Vetterway
Starting your car periodically is not recommended for many reasons. If you do start it, be sure to run it long enough to dry the exhaust system and internal engine components completely.
Vetterway
10-30-2010, 07:36 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
best to store with convertible top up. i now have tops that have shrunk and others that have developed rips because i never put them up. if you are able to bring the hardtop in the house it will help in keeping the headliner in good shape. starting the car in the winter is not needed and a battery disconnect is a must if leaving battery in car. a car storage bag is the best, but the use of greenboard drywall under the car with a breathable cover will be the next best option.
10-30-2010, 10:55 PM
#5
I have to agree that storing the car with the soft top up is the way to go. It keeps the vinyl stretched and in shape. Just make sure the rear latches are not fully closed. I've been doing the same way for 20+ years. My hard top has only been on my car once since a repaint, and only long enough for a short drive. No matter how it's stored the hard top tends mar the paint. Also it is my opinion that you do not start the car up until you are ready to take it out for the next season, but be sure to put stabilizer in the fuel tank
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10-30-2010, 11:25 PM
#6
Race Director
I always store my 64 with the soft top up, but not latched at any point, it doesn't put much wear on the weatherstrips or harm to the paint. The hard top rest on the rack I made, just like the ones in the catalogues and covered up. My garage is heated in winter and A/C in the summer. (moisture any part of the year is BAD!!!)
10-30-2010, 11:29 PM
#7
Burning Brakes
i would not disagree with the stabilizer, but in 30 years i have never had a car that had problems starting because of bad gas. never used a stabilizer and some cars sat for over a year. the only problem i had was passing emission testing on a c4 and thats because it's only been driven once or twice every two years to the emissions testing area to retain my plates.
10-31-2010, 08:02 AM
#8
Le Mans Master
i would not disagree with the stabilizer, but in 30 years i have never had a car that had problems starting because of bad gas. never used a stabilizer and some cars sat for over a year. the only problem i had was passing emission testing on a c4 and thats because it's only been driven once or twice every two years to the emissions testing area to retain my plates.
That's been my experience as well. I've only had problems with gas going bad once in over 50 years of driving. That was with an old 8-N Ford tractor that I once owned and infrequently used. It became hard to start, couldn't figure it out until I added new gas which cured the problem. The old gas in the tank was probably 5 or more years old . . . . . 
With lawnmowers, weedeaters, garden tillers, motor scooters, and cars I've never had a problem using them the following season with gas remaining in the tank over the winter. I bought some gas stabilizer a couple of years ago figuring it would probably be good to put it in the tanks of several of the items mentioned above. It's still sitting in the bottle in the shop . . . . . . got to thinking, if I've never had a problem in past years, why would I start having one now??
My experience, yours may differ . . . .
10-31-2010, 03:30 PM
#9
Team Owner
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10-31-2010, 03:41 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
one other item i do when a car is not started for a long time is to push it a foot or so every few months so that the tires don't develop a flat spot.
10-31-2010, 10:46 PM
#11
Instructor
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Actually, most car collectors here in New England store their cars in an unheated space intentionally. Unless you can afford a totally climate controlled space (heater dehumidifier/humidifier and air exchanger) its the best way to store your car and with no cost. Unheated winter air is dry. Adding heat in an enclosed space will cause condensation. Just like condensation on the inside of your windows in winter, water will condense on your frame and rust. This does not happen in an unheated space. Cold is not the enemy,water vapor is which is caused by heating an enclosed space in the winter.
Last edited by vettedreamer50; 10-31-2010 at 10:48 PM.
10-31-2010, 11:04 PM
#12
Burning Brakes
when spring arrives which is when the floors sweat, what precausions are taken? i agree that the garages are dry in the winter, but what about springtime in areas such as new england?
10-31-2010, 11:19 PM
#13
Instructor
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I haven't seen any floors around here sweat, but if yours does, ventillation is your friend. Open the doors and/or windows. If you have a big problem, run a box fan under your car to move the air.
11-01-2010, 05:20 AM
#14
Drifting
Thread Starter
[QUOTE=vettedreamer50;1575789803]I haven't seen any floors around here sweat, but if yours does, ventillation is your friend. Open the doors and/or windows. If you have a big problem, run a box fan under your car to move the air.[/QUOT yes a window as well as fan does the trick if needed !a nice painted floor with a piece of plywood under car work`s fine , my 61 was restored over twenty years ago lacquer paint crome .it still looks like a three year old car , many cold winters in nice garages.funny the day we picked it up in virginia it was in the garage when we arrived , sitting there like it owned the house never mind the garage, temp ! that January Morning in virginia was zero degrees. allthough we all Dream of the storage As in the house recreation room with a glass window to see or hobby cars ! I thank all who replied I will change a few storage methods per the suggestions given & a look to next years corvette fun !
