Winter Storage, soft top up or down

[Patrick H.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

I think (?) it's calcium chloride instead, but at the rate the local blueberry bushes are dying along the roadways, I'm not about to trust my Corvettes with it.

Patrick

[Terry M.]

[Patrick H.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Works the same here, even in the calcium chloride test areas.

My 2 year old truck has rust starting on the bottom of the doors. You can't convince me there's no salt out there catalyzing the process. The effect on automobiles has just diminished as the OEMs have improved their corrosion protection. Improved it just good enough to last that 5 year warranty, that is.

Thankfully here we often don't see the salt until after the first of January.

Patrick

[Dick W.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Calcium chloride has replace rock salt here in the mountains of NC also. The Chevy dealer in Boone told me that they see more corrison problems with the chloride than they ever saw with the convential salt.

[Terry M.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Patrick,
There is some liquid they add to the salt here -- turns the salt blue. I think it is supposed to be used when the temperature is real low, and salt alone would have little or no effect on the snow/ice. I don't know what that is called, but the evidence I have seen indicates it accelerates corrosion, like it accelerates melting.
All it does is keep the economy moving. People can get to work to earn money to buy new vehicles which will corrode away. The cycle goes on.

[Dick W.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

Addendum to last post. The steel brake lines are usually toast in about 5 years. I have a 99 model truck that has been used extensively in the winter months. It needs a complete set of steel lines right now.

I have seen the blue salt at the docks. It is shipped in that color. Like Terry says it has the ability to work below the 22 or so degrees that regular salt works.

[Patrick H.]

Re: irish eyes are smilin' !!!

I sold my 94 K1500 and bought my 2003 this past spring after a steel brake line rusted out on the 94. With 3 little kids I didn't want to "chance it" that the rest were still OK (since I'd just hit a semi thanks to the loss of brakes). And, I didn't feel like the expense or time of replacing all the lines on the 94.

Patrick

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

Final Word?

Somehow we've focused on brake lines. Okay, my lines were all replaced in 1975. This car is driven 12 months a year in Massachusetts, and my lines have NO rust. A week or so ago, I posted a picture of my exhaust manifold for someone. Here it is again. In the lower corner, you can see one of my brakes lines. They all look like this.

I think the conditions you are seeing are the result of long-term MOISTURE and road dust. The underside of my car does not typically see moisture - no rain, no puddles, and I try to avoid conditions that cause condensation. I seldom wash my car! Dust it? Clean it? Polish it? YES. Bathe it in water and let it stand? NO. I am also blessed with a very dry garage.

I have a habit that impacts this. As I work on my car, I keep an old grease rag handy, and I constantly wipe everything as I go. This way, everything is always clean and dust-free. Coincidentally, this leaves a thin film of oil/grease behind as I go. I don't expect you would do this as you work on your daily car or your pickup truck. Try it on your Vette.

Getting waaay back to the original point, if you drive your Corvette regularly, it will be a "healthier" car. You will have fewer problems with things like seals, bearings, brakes, fuel, not to mention rodents. PUT SOME MILES ON IT, not just warm it up because mechanical things need lubrication, and air movement is needed to dry off condensation. But obviously, you have to pick your drive times and your routes more carefully during the "off season".

There are folks with show cars who only drive their cars on special occasions anyway. There are folks who live in conditions where they have the option to not turn the key from September to May. Then there are folks who are just trying to maintain an old Vette as best they can while living under less than ideal (for cars anyway) conditions.

My point is, you have another option - DRIVE YOUR CAR. If you use some common sense, long-term, you'll not only have a better-running and more reliable vehicle, you'll have the fun of driving an old Vette a lot more often too.

Pete

P.S. If anyone wants to take this off-line, please feel free to email me at gordonp@thecia.net