Hello to all. With winter approaching quickly I have a question about how to lift the car so that I can get under it easier to do some work. Should I simply lift it at the proper spots on the frame and place blocks under the frame and let the front and rear tires hang where they will OR lift it and put the blocks under the tires. What I'm wondering if the tires just "hanging" unsupported will cause problems with anything. Thanks in advance for views and opinions.

 

I cut pieces of 1/2 plywood and drive up on them so that there is a layer between tires and cold concrete. Seems to have worked well, and if the mood strikes me to take the car out on a dry and relatively warm winter day, I don't have to go through all the drama of lowering it and getting it back on the ground. Easy peasy. I have a 4 -post lift, but even with that I will put some sort of insulating material (in this case plywood) under those tires when I get my '69 back from the paint shop.

I don't know what state you are located in, so the most important thing is getting those tires off the concrete during storage, especially in cold weather winter climates

I'm sure other members will have subsequent input to provide as well

Some good storage tips here as well:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/articl...art-1-storage/

 

I like to use car ramps to support the car when I plan a long term project underneath. I'll jack up the front end and slide the ramps under the tires, lower and then do the same at the rear. If you need more height then use a 2x10 or similar under the ramp (not under the tire).

If doing suspension work then I'll support the "working" end using jack stands in multiple places and keep the ramps under the other end.

You can never be too safe when working under the car.

Others may have different ways that will also be safe.

Tom

 

That's what a good 2 or 4 post lift is for. If you don't have the garage height, then a service pit. I will NEVER again work under a car suspended by jacks stands on each corner. I know tons of people do this, but I never felt easy working under a car like that, especially when you are torquing away at seized bolts (even with an impact wrench). If I hadn't had the height to allow a lift, I would have paid a contractor a few thousand to install a service pit. When it comes to safety, money shouldn't even be a factor. This is an expensive hobby, so obviously there should be money set aside for proper safety equipment as well.

 

you can let the tires hang doesnt matter. my 68 sat on blocks for 30 years in a garage, didnt hurt anything

i would say how you get it up in the air depends on what you are working on, if you have work on the wheels/suspension, id let the tires hang. if not, i'll have it sitting up on the 4 tires on some cribbing or ramps or whatever you like. I built cribbing from scrap lumber. its nice to have the car sitting on the 4 tires give you lots of room to work

 

I read that link about storing a Corvette and realized I should sell mine because I am a total failure. Maybe if I was storing it for years I would do some of that stuff.... And cutting my garage floor for a service pit is way more than a few thousand dollars where I live...It would require a footing, block work, stairs, I can't even imagine doing it.... But here is an idea...LOL



Clean it good, change the oil, lube things up, disconnect battery and put a tender on it... If you want to take the weight off the tires then do it from the A frames and rear shock mount area. If I'm getting under the car then I use everything I own to support the car, ramps, heavy duty jackstands, large blocks of timber, old wheels....I don't like it under there....

60

 

Me too...
I never fill the tank. The last thing I want is full tank of old gas when I hit the road. Quarter tank max and most important no ethanol. Never had a problem...
Back in the '80s I pulled my tires off a few times. Lots of work. Stopped doing it & never had flat spots.
I've never had a rodent problem but if I did I'd spend all of my time finding out how it got in instead of prepping the car.

I have a little experience on this subject. Next month will be the 48th time I've put the '76 to bed for the winter....

 

I agree. Some of the stuff in that article is a bit extreme for most folks - I certainly don't agree with all of the tips. No one likes it under there, but it never ceases to amaze me the stuff that folks come up with to try and get around spending money for equipment and solutions that are designed for convenience and can literally save your life.

The same people who have no problems dumping thousands into their C3s (or any car hobbyist for that matter) and may even have multiple Corvettes in their garage won't even THINK about spending a few thousand on the proper tools for the job. Excuses are like <you know what> - everyone has them, and most of them stink.

No one is going to throw pity at folks who can afford to have at least one Corvette in this expensive hobby, but cry poor when it comes to purchasing the proper safety equipment. Give me a break. For most average folks, a few thousand spread over 10, 20, 30, 40 years of use is minuscule.

Safety is no laughing matter....

 

Blocks under the frame at a good height so you can get under there on a creeper. I bought myself a quick jack as a present years ago. Never looked back and wished i had it as a kid. Best tool in the box!!!!

I dont like using blocks under the wheels unles they are made to prevent the car from rolling off

 

I may live in Australia now, land of year round C3 driving and Motorcycle riding.
But I'm originally from northern Wisconsin.
every year for many, many years. I put my 77 up on jackstands for the winter. 4 jackstands in the normal places. Never supported the nose, never heard of such a thing before the internet.
keep the tires off the ground to prevent flat spotting and let the springs rest. Always believed it was the best thing for the car.
Still have the original front springs and there more than fine. My rear spring was changed out to a mono back in the mid 90's. The original owner probably didn't let the springs rest over winter.

 

I've had my car for about 43 years and the first 10 or so years i put the car up on jack stands. the last 30 plus years i park it in the garage and cover it. never had a problem with radial tires flat spotting and i figure it can't be all that good to have your springs pushing the suspension down to its limit for several months. probably the ideal way would be to raise the car a little to relax the suspension a little bit with the tires still on the ground. I do switch over to ethenol free gas when it starts getting close to parking it.

Pat

 

Yeah, all you need to worry about now is spiders the size of dinner plates nesting in the C3. At least they'll eat the rodents. No rodent droppings in your car....

 

Here is what I taught my son.

Jack the car up. Never trust the jack. Put jack stands under the car and lower the car on to the stands. Before you get under the car, try and push the car off the stands. If it is rock solid it is safe to get under the car.

 

I’m going to be putting my car in storage soon 🥲…I’d thought a full tank plus Stabil is good. What’s the advantage of a quarter tank? How much Stabil do you use?

I use only ethanol free (91 octane) for my car.

It does freeze overnight in Idaho. I bought a car mat for my car, so it’s on a carpet and not directly on concrete. I’ve been toying with getting a lift.

 

i thought the idea behind a full tank is no room for air, no room for condensation, no rust.

 

Also if possible buy the best non Chinese jack stands that you can buy.

 

You're going to get a lot of different opinions here, but I don't generally fill the tank either - just enough for a short cruise and subsequent trip to the gas station on a nice day. If we're talking long term 'years' storage, that's a different matter. We're talking about Winter (and part of Spring) storage here in the colder parts of the US.

Stabil claims it keeps gas fresh for up to two years, but I have a Harley I haven't rode for about two years, and I just decided to drain the tank and repurpose it to the lawn mower. I wouldn't want to do that with a full tank with a 20 gallon capacity. I also heat my garage, but that doesn't help with the concrete floor, which gets pretty cold. Never tried the carpet but as long as you have some insulating layer between the tires and the concrete (but not cardboard), that's the most important thing, IMO. YMMV. I cut up a 4x8 sheet of plywood for each corner and drove the car up on them in order to get those tires off the cold floor.

I personally don't see the need to 'hard' store a car, because maybe there is a nice winter day that you would want to take it out for a quick cruise without going through a bunch of drama to get it roadworthy. It's nice to have the option even if you end up not driving it.

 

No advantage to a quarter tank....just less old gas..

I've never used Stabil or any additive & I've never had a condensation problem.

 

Agree with your first sentence about old gas, for sure. That's what I alluded to in an earlier post to Coronette, but your second statement I question. If what you've been doing works for you, then who am I to tell you something different. But it's not just about condensation. It's also the fact that the additives in fuel begin to break down (depending on the grade of fuel of course), and that process can start after as little as thirty days.... again depending on the quality and grade of fuel. You may be able to get away with that because of our old tech C3s, but with late model cars, not so much.

High quality premium fuel that we run in our Vettes will last longer in storage, of course. But for Winter storage Stabil sees to help, at very least for cheap piece of mind. I just pulled 2 year old premium out of my the tank of my Softail Custom that has been sitting for almost two years, and let me tell you, it smells like turpentine. No sense in gumming up carbs with old fuel when there is a cheap alternative to extend the life.

 

Jackstands are just fine if you have a good head on your shoulders and know what you're doing. If a guy is semi-dufus-y, probably shouldn't use them. The problem is jacking up the rear, for those guys with later (aluminum) rear diff's in their cars. That presents a little bit of a problem. What year is your car? There, ...it's best if ya put the front up first, then try to use *two* hydraulic jacks: One for each side of the frame to lift the car when positioning the rear jackstands. AL diffs are best not jacked under. Although probably a ton of people do it.

Some guys put homemade 'boxes' made out of wood under the tires after it's lifted. That seems to be a great idea. Commercial ramps are kind of hard to get up onto with a low corvette, esp the later ones. For long-term storage, I have vehicles I leave on the concrete all winter (and have for 20x yrs), and a few non-classics which sit outside all winter (summer cars). The sun's going to come up tomorrow in the East no matter which way you go. Just be safe. Stop and change course, if something doesn't seem 'right'. Choose the method which works best for you for the work you are doing.

Happy winter storage!!

Note: I've used H/F jackstands since the 80's!!