C2Dude

Ready to order Vredestein Sprint Classic tires for the 66. All forms of skull & crossbone warnings not to let these tires be loaded in any way at freezing temperatures which we get up here in Western NY. My garage is not heated. So I thought about deflating the tires in late October, placing the car of 4 jack stands until late April depending on the weather. This may come across as sounding structural naive but with a good frame, can this practice damage or bend the frame?
Thanks in advance.

Pop Chevy

Jack it up, take the wheels off and put them in the basement for the winter. I always did that with my racecars. No, you are not going to hurt the frame unless it is rotted out.

Lotsacubes

I really love my QJs. Lots of uses.

C2Dude

No QJ but I finally bought a 4 post lift 7 years back so still need the jack stands.

68sixspeed

I have rolling jacks which are nice for wheel off service on a 4 post, but you can also use a jacking tray to get the wheels off the ground and then put jack stands on the ramps in front of the rear tires and another set up front either under the lower control arms or in front of the control arms to the frame.

jim lockwood

The effect on the frame isn't the issue.

The issue is that, with the suspension in full droop, the front upper/lower control arm bushings and the trailing arm bushings will be subjected to continuous torsional stress for months at a time. They aren't designed for that. You risk cracking the rubber or maybe tearing it away from the shell to which it's bonded.

You may hear from some who have left their cars on jack stands for extended lengths of time with no obvious ill effects. I wouldn't doubt those individuals at all. There is no guarantee the bushings will fail if subjected to that extreme stress. However, there is no guarantee they won't, either.

If it were my car, I'd find a way to keep the suspension at normal ride height relative to the car while the tires were off.

ChrisBlair

Get crummy rims and tires. Put them on before storage. Let them see the cold all winter long. Store good wheels and tires someplace safe. When spring comes, on go your good wheels and tires.

dmtparker

Also if you do use jack stands, you should put some kind of support under the radiator so the nose doesn't droop.

Nowhere Man

For me it's the fear if you need to move the car in a hurry for an emergency you won't be able to

C2Dude

Good feedback which got me thinking. She came to me with steel wheels and repo hubcaps. After I found out the hard way that 18 year old tires, although they looked great tread wise, were defiantly not structurally sound, I ended up with Goodyear Assurance tires at the local tire shop I got flat bedded to. The following season I bought TTII's and had the Goodyear's mounted to them. There now entering their 6th year and as I am autocrossing, wanted to move to a softer compound such as the Vredestein's. After reading your advice I am planning to mount the Goodyear's back on the steel rims and use them to support her during the off season. Can still move her in the event of an emergency addressing Keith's concern and the Vredestein's and be moved to the basement where the temp never drops below 55F. As always, thanks for the input.

Jacks64

??????

C2Dude

Not speaking for the poster but in my experience, and what motivated my initial query, is that when I am working on mine and have either the aft end or front on stands, my door gaps change ever so slightly. This I attribute to inherent flex within the frame. That observation made me wonder if supporting the entire ride on stands could bend something. Forum feels no and they have way more experience than me. That said more support is probably better and my decision to just swap wheels/tires sounds to be the best way to address the issue.

C2Scho

I couldn't agree more with Jim. It's not so much as whether or not your C2 is on four jack stands for an extended period of time, the issue is exactly where those four jack stands are placed. If you want to keep the suspension un-sprung (as if it is still sitting on all four tires) put the rear jack stands under the shock mounts and in the front put them under the lower control arms where the very bottom of the front shocks are attached. Put some towels or other protective padding between the jack stands and those portions of the car to avoid direct metal on metal contact and any scratching which would likely occur.

This is how we set up a C2 when we are adjusting the door gaps using the addition or removal of body mount shims. The C2 must think that it is sitting on all four tires for an effective final result.

Putting just the frame of your C2 on four jack stands will let the front and rear suspension components "hang down" causing all of the unwanted stress that Jim L. outlined. Much the same as storing it raised up on a two post lift for 6 or 8 months with all four wheels and tires hanging down.

Hope this helps. C.J.

dplotkin

Its never been advisable to store a car, any car with its suspension hanging, always under the suspension as outlined in the post above. I would never store a car without wheels and tires. I must be able to move it.

Dan

silver837

In case of a fire or other emergency in the middle of the night or day . In my case I would need to move my wife's car in the driveway first.
We are talking a very short time to get all of them moved .

Skip Fix

This.