Winter is Coming... Protecting Our Rides

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Dodge72

Dodge72

Odd one out
Joined
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Location
Olympia, WA
Winter may have been a reality for most of you , but in the PNW it's about to get real cold for us (in the 20s with snow). Unfortunately my boyfriend and I don't have anything more than a carport for our cars. For the classics, what can we do to prevent anything like coolant freezing and having the potential to crack things? It happened last year with his slant six in his Dart, the block cracked. Now we gotta worry about his Duster doing the same thing as it's fully assembled. Thanks!
 
Properly mixed coolant for the engine block. Get a coolant tester to ensure the mix will withstand a hard freeze. These days I buy nothing but premix - avoids potential issues with tapwater and guarantees a decent freezing point.
Change the oil. Old/used oil can be acidic and gum up over time if it's not warmed regularly. It can even gel if enough condensation gets trapped. A couple squirts of ATF or MMO into each cylinder also isn't a bad idea.
Get a car cover, tarps. Cover the car, wrap with tarps - make sure they get wrapped tightly to avoid wind turning the wrappings into kites.
Nothing worse than the winter thaw revealing you've got new body or window leaks, especially when not driving the car for weeks/months at a time. I also like to leave a wind-wing or window cracked slightly to allow airflow. Mold is no joke in a humid climate.
Putting a car on stands for the winter also isn't a bad idea if you have the space, not sure I'd do it outdoors (doing half the work for wheel thieves) but it helps prevent flat spots.

Some of this doesn't apply if you're only talking a few days to a couple weeks..
 
20's an snow? In the NE that's time to switch to long sleeves, lol

Good outside car cover and try putting sides on the carport. Also elevate the vehicle off the tires and up off the ground. Stuff oil soaked rags in tailpipes.
 
@Phreakish hit on the first suggestion that I was going to make: Invest $5 in a coolant tester. I also agree with running the premixed stuff. It's more expensive but there are no awards for mixing your own and it eliminates a variable.
 
The only thing I would add is take the battery out and keep it in the house so it doesn't freeze. As a battery sits the acid in the battery changes to water and if it freezes and the case cracks you could have paint damage which would be no fun. plus in the house you can put it on a battery charger from time to time and it would be fully charged when the warm weather breaks.
 
Drive the car. Our fathers drove these cars 365 days a year and parked them outside in every state.
 
Dana67Dart said:
Drive the car. Our fathers drove these cars 365 days a year and parked them outside in every state.
Click to expand...

Sure, and they were rotted to pieces within 55k miles. :D

I disagree with this suggestion and I bet the OP would too based on how worried they are about their cars.

My car has nothing to prove. It served its duty as a daily driver on and off for 23 years before I got it and for several years after I bought it as a teenager in the 1990s. These days, it’s my most important physical possession and damn near a beloved family pet. It’s absolutely not just a transportation appliance.
 
MRGTX said:
Sure, and they were rotted to pieces within 55k miles. :D

I disagree with this suggestion and I bet the OP would too based on how worried they are about their cars.

My car has nothing to prove. It served its duty as a daily driver on and off for 23 years before I got it and for several years after I bought it as a teenager in the 1990s. These days, it’s my most important physical possession and damn near a beloved family pet. It’s absolutely not just a transportation appliance.
Click to expand...

So true, my uncle drove his 70 duster to the junkyard in 74 with 40.000 miles on it.
He bought the car new, but the rear leaf springs came up thru the trunk.
Yes he drove it year round, and he was a carpenter, so all his tools were in the trunk, adding extra weight, but back then cars did not last, at least around here, the dissolved.
 
Thank you for all the responses! That's one of those tools we have yet to get : I know the coolant testers are cheap at the parts store.

Is it nessacary to remove the radiator cap to allow any expansion or no?

Up here they don't use salt, they use sand. Plus the Duster doesn't have wiper blades so it doesn't really go out all year. He does like to start it up and warm it up once a week, maybe drive it around the neighborhood if it's not raining. That should help too. Thanks!
 
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