Dumb Question?????

[Reaper6193]

Ok so i have been reading over and over again about storing there Shelby's over winter. So how does this happen if most high performance engine's need to be started up and ran for a lil period at time. I wanted to store my car for the winter. So how exactly would I got about to storing it????

 

[dirtyo2000]

Change the oil, fill it up and throw some stabilizer in the tank. If you can drive it once a month I would just do that. The As Z's always think that because of the oiling system.

 

[Reaper6193]

^^^^Thanks good info on that one. Yeah I have one more autocross event, then im garaging it for the winter.

 

[E.Marquez]

Wash, detail interior..carpets, seats, dash etc.., polish and wax paint, wheels. -anything you leave on the paint will A: be there come Spring and look like crap, B: Bay spend the winter eating your paint.

Check the RAD and H/E tank fluid, level and proper mix.

Check brake, and PS fluid, top off.. better yet bleed the brakes before putting it to bed, A: you get some new dry fluid in there for spring time, B: that wet fluid in there now will not be sitting over the winter corroding the brake MC and calipers.

Change the oil and filter.. then once you park it LEAVE IT... running it for a few minutes a month only dumps corrosives and moisture in the oil, which then sits in your engine till spring... Running it for a bit longer, well into normal operating temp will at least burn off any condensation in the oil... but still, now the normal byproducts that contaminate oil while in use are sitting in your engine...

Put the battery on a quality tender.

Check the air pressure on the tires.

If the garage is not environmentally controlled, let it stay cold, worse then that is to have wild temp swings from warm to cold and back.

After that...... Move to someplace you do not have to put it away for the winter, and drive it year round..... they don't melt in the rain after all.... :lol:

 

[stkjock]

you're in El Paso Texas?

why do you store it?

if you're not going to move it at all for months, you may want to put it up one stands as well

 

[Reaper6193]

Cuz surprisingly here in El Paso we have freak weather and over the last two years its only got worse. In 2010 winter we had a freak snow storm and it jacked up the highways and the dumbass drivers from across the border/el Paso drivers didn't know how to handle it and were crashing left and right. In 2011 we had ice and 20 degree weather. Peoples pipes were freezing and busting all over the town along with rolling black outs. So I have learned just to be smart and store her for the winter to avoid idiot people and weather. I mean they can hardly drive in the summer, winter driving is off the scales on terribleness'.

 

[einehund]

I've stored my old '02 GT and now my '10 500 every single winter for 4 years now. and have additional storages for a year at a time for my deployments. First, put in some fuel stabilizer and then FILL UP THE TANK. Corrosion can't form on the inside of the tank if it is submerged in fuel. I disconnect the battery but leave it in the tray. I make sure I pull the leads out the way so they don't even touch the sides of the battery. I pull off the intake and rubberband a plastic bag around the throttle body to prevent humidity entering the intake.. I jack up the car on jack stands on all four corners. I pull off the wheels and put them inside the house (my garage is detached so still gets affected by the humidity) to prevent corrosion on the wheels. I rubberband a plastic bag around each exhaust to prevent humidity getting inside the tailpipes. finally i put the car cover on it to prevent dust from sitting on the clearcoat. whole process takes 30 minutes.

When it comes to pulling it out of storage, I follow these procedures: My old focus did this, my old 2v 4.6 did this, and my wife's durango does this: Push in the clutch all the way to start it like normal but also floor the gas. The computer will shut out the fuel pumps and the engine will only crank. Do this for 10-15 seconds to get the oil flowing up to the heads. 15 seconds of no oil to the heads @ 60rpm is WAAAAAAY better than 4-5 seconds of no oil to the heads @ 600 rpm.... I do this every time before i start up my car after storage.

 

[Reaper6193]

Thanks alot einehund, that was very useful and helpful. I have one more event for autocross this year and one more show so on the 18th of November i will put her away. So y do u put it up on jack stands btw, just wondering that one?

 

[stkjock]

No flat spotting and u unload the suspension.

 

[einehund]

I do it so I can pull the wheels off. My old car's aftermarket wheels (cheap chrome AM ones) got super corroded sitting in the humidity of the garage. Didn't want to even risk it with the Shelby wheels (even though they ARE clear coated). ALSO. make sure you are done with the interior with the car BEFORE disconnecting the battery, cause if you aren't, the windows BARELY clear the roof and you have to jam the windows back in place closing the door.

 

[Reaper6193]

Thanks buddy. Yeah I figured that part. I have a new suspencion, UCA, LCA, PHB, Diff Cover, Pulley, OD Pulley, Belt, VMP Elbow, CTB, and gauges sitting in my garage to put on during the winter. So putting it on stands would only make it easier to work on

 

[NightRide]

To the OP, where do you run your car at? Don't know any other shelby guys in the area and I'm out by Cruces. Traffic in EP is a nightmare, I also store mine in winter but take it for a spin once a month. Change the oil right before storage and take it for a drive, then she goes under the car cover.

 

[PistolWhip]

I have "stored" my cars every winter for the last 15 years. Here in NJ the winter weather is often erratic, but one thing you cane sure of is cold, wet and sometimes white winters. However, at least a few times each month the weather is descent enough to at least start the car and roll it out of the garage. I don't drive it much, because I keep drag radials on it all year long and cold + DR's equals terrible conditions. So every chance I get, I take advantage of the opportunity to start it and roll it around to get the fluids moving.
I change the oil in my car once a year now (even at that I don't get 3k miles on the oil) so usually I'll wait until the spring to do that unless its had a hard spring/summer (a lot of track or dyno time). I send my oil out for analysis every change and this method has proven to be reliable and more than acceptable as long as I use quality oil and I use only RedLine or Amsoil at this point.
I've never had any issue with tires flat spotting, but like I said I always make sure the car is capable of easily moving in and out of the garage so that I can take advantage of any descent days that come up.
When I do run the car in the winter, I ALWAYS let it run until its fully warmed up. You don't want to let it run for just a few minutes because it will produce condensation that will never burn off.
In the spring the first order of business is to change the oil, check the fluids, detail the car and check the air in the tires.
Just make sure you check the coolant in both systems (inter cooler and cooling system) and insure that the mixture is capable sustaining liquid form under the coldest of conditions. I actually add a little anti freeze just to be safe. I do try to at least wash the car before putting it away and will wipe it down every time I pull it out, with quick detailed or waterless wash. The last recommendation I have is to condition the seats thoroughly and leave them a little "wetter" with your conditioner of choice than you normally would. That way the temperature changes are less likely to start premature cracking of the leather seats.

 

[rwboring]

I have "stored" my cars every winter for the last 15 years. Here in NJ the winter weather is often erratic, but one thing you cane sure of is cold, wet and sometimes white winters. However, at least a few times each month the weather is descent enough to at least start the car and roll it out of the garage. I don't drive it much, because I keep drag radials on it all year long and cold + DR's equals terrible conditions. So every chance I get, I take advantage of the opportunity to start it and roll it around to get the fluids moving.
I change the oil in my car once a year now (even at that I don't get 3k miles on the oil) so usually I'll wait until the spring to do that unless its had a hard spring/summer (a lot of track or dyno time). I send my oil out for analysis every change and this method has proven to be reliable and more than acceptable as long as I use quality oil and I use only RedLine or Amsoil at this point.
I've never had any issue with tires flat spotting, but like I said I always make sure the car is capable of easily moving in and out of the garage so that I can take advantage of any descent days that come up.
When I do run the car in the winter, I ALWAYS let it run until its fully warmed up. You don't want to let it run for just a few minutes because it will produce condensation that will never burn off.
In the spring the first order of business is to change the oil, check the fluids, detail the car and check the air in the tires.
Just make sure you check the coolant in both systems (inter cooler and cooling system) and insure that the mixture is capable sustaining liquid form under the coldest of conditions. I actually add a little anti freeze just to be safe. I do try to at least wash the car before putting it away and will wipe it down every time I pull it out, with quick detailed or waterless wash. The last recommendation I have is to condition the seats thoroughly and leave them a little "wetter" with your conditioner of choice than you normally would. That way the temperature changes are less likely to start premature cracking of the leather seats.

+1

I think people get wayyy carried away with putting cars away. However the one thing I think you didn't mention is fuel stabilizer.

Coolant being OK for temp and fuel stabilizer are the two biggest things IMO (you always want to make sure it is clean).

 

[Reaper6193]

Nightride, I run my car all over San Antonio, Arroyo in NM, autocross, and the drags out in Clint. Nice to see u live in cruces that ain't to far from me actually lol....this is my last week with the car out and then im putting her away for the winter. More then welcome to come out and join me on Wed for our cruise

 

[Proto]

dont let it rest on the wheels the whole time. When i bought mine, i was on mid-tour leave from korea. I had to store it for 6 months. When i got back, all 4 tires had lightly flat spotted. Flop flop flop flop flop flop driving down the road.

 

[Reaper6193]

^thanks for the advise

 

[TexasShelby]

I've found after 6 years of my GT500 out here in the wild wild west...winter has more top down days than summer.

But there is about two months in Feb/Mar usually that I don't like driving it.

Love Great American Cattle up on "the Hll", second best ribeye in the country.

 

[Sprayboy422]

I store mine never had flat spots yet.