Winter Storage, soft top up or down

[Alan #44172]

Hello.
This is my first year with a 1960 Vette. I will be winter storing it in a heated garage. Is it best to store the car with the soft top up or folded up in it's compartment?

If there are any articles written on the subject of how to prepare a classic car for a 6 month storage I would like to hear about them.
Thanks
Alan

[Donald M.]

Re: Winter Storage, soft top up or down

Alan, Store the top in the UP position. If you store it down, your top will be wrinkled and creased come Spring. Also, roll up the windows. In addition,the usual winter storage precautions apply like covering the car, filling the gas tank, inflating tires to 35-40psi if being parked on the tires and taking the necessary anti-vermin measures.
Don

[Michael W.]

Re: Winter Storage, soft top up or down

Alan,

There's lots of articles floating around the internet about how to store car for a long cold winter, including a well circulated one from a guy who's probably never left Florida in his life. Most of these gems make it sound like you're preparing for a nuclear attack or 40 days and night of rain.

Although most of the advice is well meaning and has a benign effect at worst, preparing a car for storage is pretty simple and it's just as much about thinking WHERE to store the car.

Try to choose a place where temperature and humidity are constant, to minimize condensation.
Wash the car
Clean the interior
Change the oil and filter
Pump up the tires- do not put the car on blocks
Fill the gas tank (no stabilizer fluids required for storage of less than a year)
Disconnect the battery and attach a tender-type charger
Do not yield to temptation to start it every now and then!

If vermin is a potential problem, cats are very effective. Otherwise Clem might want to post details of his favourite mouse trap.

[Mike McKown]

Re: Winter Storage, soft top up or down

Atta' boy, Mikey! LOL.

Lotta' common sense here.

[mike cobine]

Re: Winter Storage, soft top up or down

including a well circulated one from a guy who's probably never left Florida in his life.

I hope you are not referring to an article I wrote for Vette Vues magazine about 10 years ago. Since I have lived a lot of places, including one where one week our high was 20 below (the high for the month was around zero), I'm sure it isn't mine.

And for all that good advice I snowballed from a dozen words to enough to make Barbara Spear happy, I let one get made into a giant mouse motel. Probably had something to do with parking it in a barn in the middle of 50 acres of soybeans.

[Duke W.]

Re: Winter Storage, soft top up or down

Excellent advice, but you forgot to add the most important prep - RODENT CONTROL! Set storage cold tire pressure to the maximum placarded on the sidewall or at least 35 psi. Also change the antifreeze and brake fluid if they will expire prior to the end of storage.

By far the most potential damage can be fron rodents, so be sure to place traps/poison around the facility, under the car, and in the engine compartment, cabin, and trunk. I can't tell you how many guys have claimed "my garage doesn't have mice" then the little critters ate through a wiring harness - EXPENSIVE, but easy to prevent.

Also cover the car with a light breathable cover to keep it clean. It's okay to use plastic over the cover if there is no condensing humidity, which I would expect not in a heated garage.

Over the life of the average car about 80 percent of total engine wear occurs during cold start and warm-up, so DO NOT start it unless you WANT to drive it. With this storage prep the car will do just fine.

Come spring when you are ready to place it back in service.

1. Remove cover(s) - visual inspection, fluid levels, leaks, rodent activity, etc.
2. Adjust tire pressure to the proper driving spec
3. Install a freshly charged battery
4. If possible, use a syringe to fill the carb fuel bowls.
5. Normal cold start- the fresh oil you installed the prior spring is good for the entire driving season. Change it again prior to the next storage period.

Duke

[Chris H.]

Re: Winter Storage, soft top up or down

I had a bit of chipmunk problem here and found a good way of solving that may work with mice. I fill a 5 gallon pail half full of water, throw a large handful of sunflower seeds in it til it looks solid. Put a 2" wide plank across the top with access so mice can get on the plank. Chipmunks take a swim to get the seeds and cannot get out. I catch about 1 a day. Not sure if it would work for mice. Probably not work in a freezing garage however!!

[Kenneth G.]

irish eyes are smilin' !!!

hello all,

i heard shaving of irish spring soap in/around your car works for vermin. smells good too! personally i dont know why people "hibernate" there cars. i live in ny and i wont do anything special to my car. sure, i wont drive it weekly like during spring/summer/fall but at least once a month during the winter i give it a breather with a drive. i cant believe that, except for the snowiest/saltiest of areas there can't be a time or two a month for a drive..........also top UP!

Kenny #31871 69 conv fathom green 4spd 350/350hp w/ac

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Kenny -

How right you are! These cars need to be DRIVEN, not stored! Short of having an accident. the worst thing you can do to a vintage car is try to store it. It's like trying to store your dog for the winter - not a pretty sight come spring.

I live in NE. Except for maybe February, there are a couple of days every month when conditions are right for a good drive. I often do it at night when the day's thawed spots freeze back up. The only major issues are having to deal with REAL cold starting and avoiding dusty spots.

Pete

[Duke W.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

I've been rotating cars in and out of 6-12 months storage for at least 15 years and have never had a problem that I can even remotely attribute to storage.

The key to success is proper storage preparation and protection.

Duke

[Patrick H.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Watch out for the salt on the roads.

Here in Michigan the roads are snow-and-ice free from mid-March onward, yet I rarely get the cars out before mid-April due to the omnipresent white coating on the roads. It's the main reason my cars don't get driven on those "nice days" in the winter. I need some good rains before I let my cars see the asphalt.

Patrick

[Rick S.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Here, Here. I agree 100% Patrick. Just look at a dark clean car and you will see a fine coating of salt dust over the car a few hours after it has been washed.

[Patrick H.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

My "driver" 71 came from California, and my "show" 72 is a Bowtie car.

Ain't no way they're seeing salt this many years later.

Patrick

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Congratulations, Duke. But the key words here are preparation and protection. I know that you THOROUGHLY take care of both. However, most folks don't go to the lengths that you do. And I've seen DOZENS of rusted garage queens and spring time nightmares up here in the northeast.

Pete

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Hi Patrick -

Most DPW's in my area no longer use rock salt. Even they noticed that their cars were turning to brown hulks. I do not know what they use now, but rust is no longer the problem that it used to be.

Pete