What are some good tips about putting the car into hibernation during the winter months? The car will be in a heated garage that even on the coldest pennsylvania day dosnt go below 60. What are pros and cons of using Stabil in the gas tank? My battery is a GM Delco and is 3 months old. I plan to start it at least once a week, should a trickle charger still be used? Oil was changed in june. Any advice will be great.

 

I vote, move where its warm, I did

 

Trickle charger is a must for me. I learned that lesson the winter after I moved to the mountains. Corvette and motorcycles are put away for winter, so now they all have trickle chargers.

If you're not going to drive for 6 weeks or more then you may also want to consider the following:

1. Pull the plugs and squirt some a little oil in the cylinder, especially if you live somewhere where humidity can lead to a build up of water. Harder to do on a Corvette, of course, but when storing for 2 or more months it is probably worth the hassle.

2. Use Sta-bil or other quality fuel stabilizer for long storage. Some say you should fill the tank while others suggest you keep it low. I tend to fill it, use the fuel stabilizer, and then drive it every couple weeks. The longest it may sit is usually 2 weeks without enough of a break in the weather to allow at least some driving. But even then I won't get to drive that far, so I use the full tank and fuel stabilizer to help me keep it safe for the whole winter. Most of the time I can get through the worst 3 months on just one tank of gas, so that gives you an idea of how cold we get.

3. Coat the weather strips with a silicone based coating. Some like dielectric grease as well, while others recommend 303 Aerospace Protectant. Make sure the product you use is meant for rubber/weather strip. Problem with grease, in my opinion, is that it is measier to clean up, so I like the silicone stuff better.

4. Use a desiccant inside if you plan to store it in a humid place. It doesn't take that much, but keeping the moisture from building up can help protect a lot of things including leather and carpet.

5. Use a tire dressing for long term storage.

6. Use a lift to take pressure off the tires as well. There are some products on the market that will help avoid flat-spotting of the tires, but I've found that lifting the car just enough to reduce the "flat" spot will the do the same.

7. Wash the outside really well, put on a fresh coat of wax, and then use an inside cover (if you have one). If you don't have a cover then consider getting one. I live in a spot where strong winds can kick up a lot of dust and sand, so having a cover over the car (even when in garage) can help a lot when it comes to protecting the paint.

8. Vacuum the inside really well, and make sure that there is no food crumbs or other munchies for the mice.

9. Put a plastic baggy over the tail-pipe and other places where the little furry creatures can get.

 

That's a pretty comprehensive list.

Along with squirting oil into your pistons, disconnect the input into the distro (stop the spark), turn the engine over and spray some oil in there. We used to use WD-40 on the old carb motors. There is a chance that you can foul some of the sensors, but I don't like the idea of a rusting intake. Even if it is aluminum, I don't like it. You would do this before you put oil in the pistons.

I would add a plastic bag over the intake if you have a cut box. Same reason as the exhaust.

Get a couple of bars if Irish Spring soap, cut it up and distribute it around the car. You can even get a couple of small Tupperware plastic bowls and put it inside the car. The Tupperware is just so you don't get in your car and find pieces of soap fused into your carpet.

The whole low-tank/full-tank is kind of a toss up for me. Having an almost empty tank allows you to fill the tank up with nice good fresh fuel at the first chance you can get. A full tank, however, protects the gas tank itself and is less prone to "octane loss".

Oh, and don't forget to put signs EVERYWHERE in your car reminding you to take the plastic off! You REALLY don't want to leave it on.

 

Use a mesh cover over the tailpipes so you don't trap moisture and cause corrosion.

 

Hey... I have 6 Corvettes in my garage at thsi time and have had at least one for the last 40 or more years now...

I do hook up a Battery Tender to each car...I change the oil on all of them, and store them with their gas tanks full...

I do not use a gas stabilizer....
I do not start the cars...
Normally I do not even cover them (used to but got lazy as I found out I stilled cleaned them up in the spring..not much extra work in using a duster to knock off the dust .

The only thing I do is to go out get inside each of my C3's and pump the brake pedal a few times each week otherwise each of them will have the brake calibers suck air in the spring and force me to bleed the brakes...

Only one of my two garages is heated...BUT the heat is only turned on if I have a winter project underway with one of the cars ...

Bob G.

 

1-Full tank and stabilizer
2-Inflate to maximum pressure tire can get (specified on the side tire warning,usually from 40 to 50 PSI)to avoid flat spot
3-Fresh Mobil 1 oil change
4- Battery maintainer
Thats about it when inside a heated garage...

IMO,No need to start the engine every weeks or months, if less than 6 months as it will be harder on engine components and oil contamination than let it sit...

On another note a few cold ones, your prefered tunes and a coat of wax can help on keeping the winter blues away!

 

That's right, a battery maintainer instead of a trickle charger would be best. When the battery's charged it turns off and keeps an eye on the voltage. When it's low enough it turns back on.

A trickle charger is always charging.......well sot of. Depending on internal resistance but that's another thread. I just had to mention it or someone would have. It's the internet you know.

 

 

I feel sorry fer y'all durn Yanks and Canucks having to put the car away for winter. Its just gettin nice down here.

Heres a link to Corvette Central's article about winterizing and wouldnt you know they sell everything you need to do it! Get a load of the crazy Canucks way of keeping his driveway clear!

http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2010...your-corvette/

See yall next May!

 

On the other side, I prefer to enjoy every winter months when i see all the bad Hurricane's and tornado's you get down there every year and it help on keeping the mileage low too...

 

Plus we get 6 months of no yard work, and don't need to have an exterminator on speed dial ;-)

I do most everything mentioned above. I keep mine in my mother-in-law's unheated garage. I use steel wool in the exhaust tips. I over-inflate the tires and put the car up on dollies so I can wheel it way over to the side of the garage, out of harm's way. I also got some large desiccant packs for the interior to absorb moisture.

 

Yeah I usta live about 100 miles off the Gulf in Alabama. We had some pretty bad stuff during Hurricane Ivan and Katrina. I was working on the coast at that time and those two hellions f***ed up some real estate and lives. I had already moved when the tornadoes this year ripped thru just 20 miles North of where I lived. While we get some tropical weather in Jacksonville, the town hasnt had a direct hurricane hit since 1964. Hopefully we wont see one anytime soon.

I dunno everywhere has its own drawbacks I guess.

 

How 'bout a question for all you braggin' Florida boys. Where are you from because I've already figured out that nobody's FROM Florida. If I had a way to get my boat and my Vette down there I may be joining you for winter.

 

Very true. Native Floridians are endangered species. I have lived lots of places but 30 years in FL mostly in the Jacksonville area.

 

Stabil----Yes
Oil---- Yes I would change it, cheap insurance
Trickle charger---Yes, just make sure that it has a "Float" setting, this will stop the charge when the battery is fully charged. You don`t want to cook the battery. I would not start it weekly, you could wind up getting a lot of condensation in the exhaust system causing it to rot out.

 

Where at in PA are you? I live in Pa too and I drive my Vette in the winter. The only time that I don't drive her is if there is snow or freezing rain.

But if you're going to park her all winter then follow the advise that was already given.

 

Central Pa here too. Mine will be driven year round as long as there isn't moisture or excessive salt on the roads. I usually try to drive 1-3 days per week

 

I have exercised restraint. I have reigned myself in. I have held my tongue.....but I just can't do it anymore.

Oh Sweetsie.....here kitty kitty kitty.....


You see Joeanoker.....we have a resident expert on winter storage right here on this very forum. I'm sure he'll be happy to impart his wisdom concerning pickling the Vette for the winter. In fact, he should be doing just that right about now, and could perhaps walk you through it step by step. OH wait....he did this a month ago.....never mind.