Okay, since I'm not getting the house I wanted to rent out (owners japped out...damn bastards! ) I'm getting a place that doesn't have a garage. It does however have a very large driveway that curves around in a circle, and goes behind the house. So, this winter, I'll be storing my car outside in the back. I've never stored a vehicle outside during the winter. The whole time I've been here in NY for college, I've stored my lowriders and stuff inside a heated garage.

So, my question is what do I have to do to safely store my car outside? I've always used real high quality covers. Should I put the car up on blocks, or put some kind of carpeting underneath it?

Or should I just pay to keep my car stored in one of those storage places? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanx!

[ August 24, 2001: Message edited by: 2000Lo&ShowTibby ]

 

I would pay the extra $$$ to keep it in a heated garage if you can afford it. Find a place in the boonies. It may be a 2 hour drive, but the rates are usually MUCH cheaper.

Otherwise....do the same maintenance you would do for storing the car in a heated location. only add some Silica gel or Baking soda to the engine compartment, passenger compartment and trunk. If baking soda, put it in shallow pans about 1" deep. Change the pans every 30-60 days. The baking soda will absorb moisture and odors. If you use Silica pellets, pull them out every 60 days and put them in the oven at no hotter than 150 for 1 hour. That drives the moisture out of them...them let them cool and put them back. Add an extra heavy coat of wax before you put the cover on. and make sure the cover is on tight, so it won't flap in the wind. If you can, build a windbreak out of whatever is handy to protect the cover from the "prevailing" wind direction. Keep the snow off the cover whenever possible.

 

Damn...screw all that!!!! I'll just rent a place to keep it in. I'm renting out a bay to do all the paint, and body work. Then after that, I'll keep the car stored somewhere. Doubt I'll be able to find a heated storage place, but a regular storage unit should be fine.

 

If you really have to store your car outside it won't be that bad. I'm originally from Alaska and I never had a garage and the temperatures in the winter got down to about -70 degrees F. All you need to do is go down to your local mechanic or dealership and have them install a block heater and an oil pan heater. Then you just have to plug it in at night and it be ready for you in the morning! Hope that helps! smile.gif

 

You don't want to use a block heater/oil pan heater all winter though. This car is going to sit idle and covered all winter.

 

Ohhhh...if you are going to store ALL winter then yeah, do what Random said and just put it in storage. My plan was if you wanted to drive it during the winter smile.gif

 

Yeah..I just found out my friend is gonna let me store the car in his garage. It's not heated, but I'll park the car on some super super thick carpet, and then cover it with a really good cover. That should be fine over the winter. I'll make sure to start it every few weeks and let it run for awhile too.

 

Add gas stablizer, and oil stabilizer, along with some added antifreeze to keep the water from seperating out.

 

I don't have any garage space at my house here, so I built a little tent-cover to park my Tib under. Since dirt and junk can still get to it through the sides though, I bought a cheap cover to put on. The cover is one of those "one size fits all" deals and is pretty baggy on the sides. Lo&Show, you mentioned that you use some high quality covers on your cars...do you have a good one that will fit Tibs? I want to try to get the best possible to replace my crappy current one, I just haven't been able to find a place that makes a really nice one for Tiburons.

-Hans