Climate controlled storage necessary?

[muddbros]

I bought my 1978 vette this summer... fiberglass is in beautiful condition and the now 8 year old paint job still looks great. What I'm wondering is, some of my co-workers are telling me it is probably in such good condition since the previous owner had a heated garage. Mine isn't heated... and I'm concerned when we have a few months of well below freezing temps (Michigan) that this may cause damage to the body and perhaps can cause some mechanical problems as well.

I've never had to put a car up for the Winter before so, any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Also, whether climate controlled or not... any other tips on prepping for storage? I don't want to be negligent with my baby! ;help

 

[Peer81]

Mine is also in a non heated storage, never had a problem. Biggest problem you can get is to seal off the paint, so the bodywork can't breath. If you do this then you have a big problem! I would say put a water asborber in the interior and you're all set to go (or stay )

Groeten Peter

 

[vett boy]

Having stored a 69 many winters cold storage won't hurt that much .I always place a vapor barrier on the concrete floor even if its just 4mil poly from HD .Moisture was always my biggest concern. Of coarse if you can rent a climate control unit for $50 per month, take it

 

[muddbros]

Thanks for the feedback all! The cheapest storage I'm finding is $130/month... so I'd rather go with my cold storage if I'm not going to hurt this little beauty.

-It does get quite cold here, negative temps in Farenheit though... still makes me a little nervous.hnoes

Having stored a 69 many winters cold storage won't hurt that much .I always place a vapor barrier on the concrete floor even if its just 4mil poly from HD .Moisture was always my biggest concern. Of coarse if you can rent a climate control unit for $50 per month, take it

 

[vett boy]

Thanks for the feedback all! The cheapest storage I'm finding is $130/month... so I'd rather go with my cold storage if I'm not going to hurt this little beauty.

-It does get quite cold here, negative temps in Farenheit though... still makes me a little nervous.hnoes

$130 is about what I pay at Conway self storage ,thats just across from the Orlando airport.It's a lot better than storing it in Maine.

 

[TimAT]

Get it good and warmed up, change the oil, add some stablizer to a FULL tank of gas, make sure the antifreeze is good (clean and the freeze point is where it needs to be), wash and wax it, and park in on a big sheet of plastic. Put a de-humidifier inside, hook a battery tender up or remove the battery and close the door for the winter. See you in the spring.

 

[muddbros]

Thanks, great info! So nothing special to worry about with long-term very cold temps when it comes to the fiberglass?

Get it good and warmed up, change the oil, add some stablizer to a FULL tank of gas, make sure the antifreeze is good (clean and the freeze point is where it needs to be), wash and wax it, and park in on a big sheet of plastic. Put a de-humidifier inside, hook a battery tender up or remove the battery and close the door for the winter. See you in the spring.

 

[TimAT]

Not at all. Look how many boats set in the backyard (or even IN the water!) all winter.
As long as it's clean and mostly dry it'll be fine.

 

[o2bnkc]

$130 is about what I pay at Conway self storage ,thats just across from the Orlando airport.It's a lot better than storing it in Maine.

I might be crossing the line here, but WTF?! You pay for storage so your car won't get cold in the winter? It's a friggin car!! I gotta' stop now. My head's gonna' explode.

 

[Evolution1980]

Muddbros, asothers have said here, cold weather is no problem. It will not affect the fiberglass or anything else for that matter.

All I do to mine is...
Fill the gas tank with gas & a mix of "Sta-bil". (and run the car to get the mix in the system and carb)
I wash it.
I inflate the tires to around 40 psi.
I put some dessicant packs ("dry packs") on the floor and on the arm rest
I leave a smart-charger ("auto-cycling trickle charger") on it most of the time.
I cover it with with some soft cotton sheets.

At least once a month or so I go out and start it. Let it get up to operating temp so that you don't just add condensation to the exhaust system. I also manually go through the gears on the auto-trans. Some will say it doesn't have any impact since I'm not out actually driving the car, but...whatever.

Also, last year I left the hood unlatched and the doors not fully closed. Possibly not a great move with the doors, as this entire past season it was definitely harder to get the doors to close because the seals had expanded a bit. (They are newer / a few years old)

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Muddbros,
At least once a month or so I go out and start it. Let it get up to operating temp so that you don't just add condensation to the exhaust system. I also manually go through the gears on the auto-trans. Some will say it doesn't have any impact since I'm not out actually driving the car, but...whatever.

Gotta disagree with you here. This just adds wear and tear. I assume you move the car outside and let idle to do this- so you're building up nasties in the oil.

When you bring the car back in warm garage, a film of condensation will form over every cold surface of the car- which is a great place for corrosion to start.

Park it and don't start it.

 

[Evolution1980]

Gotta disagree with you here. This just adds wear and tear. I assume you move the car outside and let idle to do this- so you're building up nasties in the oil.

When you bring the car back in warm garage, a film of condensation will form over every cold surface of the car- which is a great place for corrosion to start.

Park it and don't start it.

I don't move the car outside. I raise the garage door about 6". I made my own exhaust hoses like dealerships have and let those exhaust outside under the garage door.

What's the part about "building up nasties in the oil"? Why / How so? :confused

 

[vett boy]

I might be crossing the line here, but WTF?! You pay for storage so your car won't get cold in the winter? It's a friggin car!! I gotta' stop now. My head's gonna' explode.

Just place one hand on each side of the head and apply 3.876 lbs of pressure and you'll be fine.

This is the reasoning behind the decision.The car is a company car and is a tax deduction.Most people in this area store the cars for approx .5-6 months .It snows here just about every so they day and sand and salt and sand and salt four times a day.snow fall is about 150 inches and sometimes the daytime temps are -50 with wind chill.ad

I can fly from Portland, Maine on a direct flight (3.5 hrs)to Orlando for $70 each way.Because I have business in Deland ,FL ,and Naples the flight ,storage meal and hotel are mostly tax deductible.I fly down about twice a month and enjoy the car .Go to a few shows ,skip down to Key West for some R&R and I write off every dime I can get away with.

Now in Maine I have my own garage space that is totally climate controlled .I rent the space to a couple Corvette guys that pay me $140 per month each for a total of $280 (cash).

Oh and there are several neighbors at the self storage that do a similar program.

OK your turn whats wrong with this ?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Running an engine at idle is considered 'severe service' much like like stop and go traffic or short distance driving- very inefficient and hard on an engine. The 'crap' produced during cold start and warm up accumulates in the engine oil and is not burned off or expelled out the tail pipe. hnoes

 

[Evolution1980]

Running an engine at idle is considered 'severe service'...and (is) hard on an engine. The 'crap' produced during cold start and warm up accumulates in the engine oil and is not burned off or expelled out the tail pipe. hnoes

Well, I'm not exactly sure how an engine idling with no load on it is "hard on it" or what the "crap" is that's being produced during a start and then accumulated, but I really don't have much to counter with, so..."OK".

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Combustion at idle is at best 'incomplete' with lots of carbon particles finding their way into the oil. The point really is that there's no need or benefit in firing an engine up during a storage period.

Here's some good reading for you:

Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

scroll down about halfway to the para about 'how often should I change my oil'.

 

[JohnZ]

Well, I'm not exactly sure how an engine idling with no load on it is "hard on it" or what the "crap" is that's being produced during a start and then accumulated, but I really don't have much to counter with, so..."OK".

The rich mixture produced by the choke at cold start and poor combustion sealing at cold idle produces a lot of blow-by contaminants that end up in the oil; when that combines with the moisture condensate created by the cold/hot/cold cycle that results from starting the engine but not driving the car, the oil becomes acidic, which tends to form sludge. If you don't drive the car at least ten miles, the oil never gets hot enough to boil off the blow-by contaminants and moisture condensate, so they stay in the oil.

If you drive the car far enough to get the oil hot enough to boil off that stuff, the vapors are pulled out by the PCV system and burned; if you don't have a functioning PCV system, the stuff stays in the engine and forms sludge.

Don't start it - just let it sit; it'll be fine in the spring.

 

[Evolution1980]

Combustion at idle is at best 'incomplete' with lots of carbon particles finding their way into the oil. The point really is that there's no need or benefit in firing an engine up during a storage period.

Here's some good reading for you:

Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

scroll down about halfway to the para about 'how often should I change my oil'.

The rich mixture produced by the choke at cold start and poor combustion sealing at cold idle produces a lot of blow-by contaminants that end up in the oil; when that combines with the moisture condensate created by the cold/hot/cold cycle that results from starting the engine but not driving the car, the oil becomes acidic, which tends to form sludge. If you don't drive the car at least ten miles, the oil never gets hot enough to boil off the blow-by contaminants and moisture condensate, so they stay in the oil.

If you drive the car far enough to get the oil hot enough to boil off that stuff, the vapors are pulled out by the PCV system and burned; if you don't have a functioning PCV system, the stuff stays in the engine and forms sludge.

Don't start it - just let it sit; it'll be fine in the spring.

Excellent info, Mikey and John! Thanks! I have a feeling that I'll be referencing this thread for others about this time next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. And the....


So let me ask this:
If it's best not to start the car, would it be better to give a fresh oil change before storage so I have fresh oil with all it's "whatevers" in there to coat/protect the pieces-parts? I typically change my oil at the start of the season. By the end ("now"), it's pretty dark and not very pretty. Does it still coat/protect as well? Is it worth changing for $25? I use Mobil-1 full synth.
I've also heard of people manually spinning up the oil pump before the first start out of storage. But I've never done that and likely wouldn't. If anything, I pour some oil on both sides of the engine via the rocker covers ("OIL") hole on one side, breather hole on the other side.
Suggestions?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

That's pretty much overkill, but if you're going to do an annual oil change, do it right before storage.

Don't worry about oil draining off parts while sitting. I have first handed examples of engines that sat for three full years unused and unloved. Upon teardown, there was the same amount of residual oil on the surfaces as an engine that has been stopped only 24 hours.

 

[o2bnkc]

Just place one hand on each side of the head and apply 3.876 lbs of pressure and you'll be fine.

This is the reasoning behind the decision.The car is a company car and is a tax deduction.Most people in this area store the cars for approx .5-6 months .It snows here just about every so they day and sand and salt and sand and salt four times a day.snow fall is about 150 inches and sometimes the daytime temps are -50 with wind chill.ad

I can fly from Portland, Maine on a direct flight (3.5 hrs)to Orlando for $70 each way.Because I have business in Deland ,FL ,and Naples the flight ,storage meal and hotel are mostly tax deductible.I fly down about twice a month and enjoy the car .Go to a few shows ,skip down to Key West for some R&R and I write off every dime I can get away with.

Now in Maine I have my own garage space that is totally climate controlled .I rent the space to a couple Corvette guys that pay me $140 per month each for a total of $280 (cash).

Oh and there are several neighbors at the self storage that do a similar program.

OK your turn whats wrong with this ?

That's cool. Nothing wrong with that. Do the guys that rent a garage from you have none? Well, I gotta' go to Les Schwab to get mine fitted for snow tires, or maybe I'll just use chains.:L