Well it's November in Wisconsin.

Just wondering what folks do to winterize their Dents. Hopefully, this year I'll drive her straight through... First actual snow's supposed to show up on Wednesday.

I got this little thingy with the truck:



Can't quite figure how it ever worked from its position (in the hose between the water pump and the cab heater coil - high and dry). Might try to plug it back in just to see. Can't imagine it could hurt.

The other thing is that my rig is currently "three wheel drive" (broken front DS axle shaft) which means rear wheel drive. Figure I'm gonna have to go the "sand in the box" route on that.

 

I met a guy who had a 78. Never drove it in the winter. Decided to drive it one winter. He said he washed it every week all winter. Next year it started to rust. Moral of the story, don't drive the dent in the winter. Too much salt.
Jim
77 F150 - 400 CI

 

Here's what I have gathered from this site and my experience:

Driven during winter:
-Air up the tires. Check your spare too!!!
-Change the oil and oil filter. In REALLY cold climates, consider a thinner oil.
-Check/change the antifreeze. Make sure your heater valve is open so the coolant in there drains out too.
-Apply Rain-X on your windshield. It works.
-Change the wiper blades.
-Apply dialectric grease every accessible connector and light bulb socket.
-Wash and wax.
-Load your winter survival kit: Rope, tow/recovery strap, ice scraper, tool kit, a knife, duct tape, bailing wire, a flashlight, a blanket, gloves, and an extra pair of socks (Wet socks suck). Two bottles of water, power or granola bars

In the spring, consider applying gloss black paint behind all body panels or other undercoating. Vehicles up to the late 70s had very light or no underbody protection. Another benefit is that it is easier to clean since gloss paint is smooth and less likely to hold dirt/mud like a rough surface.

Long-Term Interior Storage:
-Air up the tires
-Wash the truck thoroughly and blast the areas known for rust on these rigs:
1. Behind and above the rear wheel well liners that are welded in. Mine had packed mud and pebbles that clogged the drain holes.'had to replace a wheel arch last year.
2. Behind the front fender liners (the tar paper stuff).
3. At the front fender, the area above the lower mounting bolt near the door.
4. The cowl and its drainage course. Remove the rubber plugs above and behind the front wheels. Take out the leaves, twigs, etc. Rinse thoroughly.
-Give it a good wax job if your paint will take it.
-Fill up the gas tank(s) and use a bottle of Sta-bil.
change the oil and oil filter. Oil turns acidic over time. Let it run for a few minutes.
-Place the rig up on jackstands to unload the suspension. If on a dirt floor or other porous surface, first lay down a sheet of plastic and place jackstands on two layers of 3/4-inch plywood to spread the load and prevent the stands from sinking into the earth.
-Take a can of WD-40 and spray the entire under carriage. It's a light oil and will easily wash off in the spring.
-Remove the battery and store the battery in a cool dry place. Preferably connect it to a maintenance charger.
-Remove the spark plugs and inject a tablespoon of oil into each cylinder. -Rotate the engine by hand a few times to lube the cylinders. It'll smoke a bit when you bring it back to life in the spring but that's okay. Your cylinder walls will thank you.
-Vacuum the interior and remove all trash.
-Place fabric softener sheets in the interior. It'll stave off musty smells.
-Close the fresh air vents to prevent critters from gettng in.
-Crack the driver and passenger windows like 1/4-inch so the interior can breath.
--Option: Install some mouse traps in the engine compartment that are baited with peanut butter. Do not put any in the cab cuz it'll just be an invitation for them to come in.

Never use Armor All or any other protectant unless you are dedicated to using it regularly. My 65 'Stang was regularly doused with that crap and the hot California sun has outgassed the vinyl and the protectant and constantly leaves a nasty film on all the windows. The vinyl is now dried and cracked too. Stupid stuff IMO.

 

Maybe I'll luck out and the rest of the body will rust off. Make the next swap that much easier.

 

Thats a tank heater, or recirc(recirculation) heater, my favorite winter accesory. Thats where they are soposed to go, pass side, between engine and heater core, or between water pump and a fitting in the side of the block/water jacket(usually just in front of the front most freeze pug in that side). Should be fairly low, either on the frame rail or lowest inner fender so fluid naturally flows down to it..

The great thing about them is that they actually circulate your fluid as it heats it, so you get an even engine heat. It heats fluid in it, forcing it out one side, creating a vacuum and pulling more in past a check valve(so it only tries to circulate one way) and thus pumps the fluid around heating the entire circuit/engine.

Thats why its nice to connect it to go through the heater core, so you have heat available in the cab and to clear windows even when you first start the engine, or even before starting it.

They are ratted in wattages, from around 400 or 500 up. The highest I've seen new for a while is around 800, maybe 1000.... I know guys with older units of 1500W. I think mine is 1000 or a little more. Can plug it in on a cold truck at -55F and have safe starting temp/easier cranking in a couple hours... I like 4 or 5+ hours at that temp though, then it heats lower and you get more rise in oil temp for easier cranking, less chance of running the top end dry from oil too thick to pump.

I've got freeze plug style heaters in a couple rigs too, but they don't circulate fluid, just heat the water jacket, and are slower. I prefer the recirc heater. Got 2 freeze plug heaters on the bronco, but thanks for the reminder, I remeber now that I got a new recirc to add in last fall but never got it on, so I'll really be covered for this winter.

Just this last week i got my antifreeze re-mixed for the winter, they recamend 50/50, but we run 70% or better up here for -60F or colder protection. (my daily driver is good to -70F ish right now with a 75% mix)

The rest of my winterization beyond checking antifreeze mix is put on the studded M+S/ATs, check pressuresand all fluids. Change from 10w40 summer oil to 10w30 winter. Fill front diff and T case with fluid. Lock in the front hubs for the year(I run locked at all times in the winter so i can shift on the fly in and out of 4x4 as i need it or don't) Make sure the full tool set, cables, tow chain, spare fluids etc are all in the cab, not in the bed.(try pouring a quart of 30w at -40 some time!)


Thankfully its illegal to salt the roads in this state... so i have no issues with winter driving and rust. They do gravel the heck out of them though, so rock chips then cracks from extreme temp change mean a windshield doesn't last for more than a season or two before its a mess.( unfortunetally they've started enforcing the no cracks law so I'll finally have to change the stock glass out soon... )

Eeek. I'm long winded...
We got about 10 of snow in 3 days this last week, on top of the 6" or 7" from last week, they finally plowed off the main road last night, I got to plow our drive for the third time in 2 weeks later today, and its soposed to rain today and tomorrow... and get glare icy fast. then snow more this week. About par for November(except the rain), So, winterization has been fore-most on my mind.


G.

 

I have a 79 f100 2wd. I plan on running it this winter also. So, when it comes to the "undercoating", i planed on spraying on a couple cans of the "rubberized undercoating" stuff. So, what is better, the gloss black paint or rubberized undercoating?

 

IMO, gloss black if it's more mud than gravel. Rubberized undercoating will be thicker and be less prone to chipping than paint.

 

Was hoping to hear from one of you Alaska guys. Thanks for the recirc explanation. Mine was previously hung from a rubber cord on the hood. Guess I'll move it down as best I can. It's a little beat up, but we'll try 'er out anyway.

 

I prefer to drive one of these new fangled plastic cars that can't rust.

In the winter I store mine. Air the tires put it up on blocks place 1/2 to 3/4in plywood underneath to absorb all the fluids of any kind whether it is oil from the truck or water from the ground.

Also I check the fluids and make sure all of them are full including the gas tank.

 

Usually doesn't get too bad around here. I'll drive it in any temperature, when it snows I just park it to keep the salt off of it. That's what the wife's Camry is for

If you're afraid that it's gonna get REALLY freaking cold I would put some fuel line antifreeze in it. Also might consider using a synthetic oil. I run Mobil 1 in everything I own. It's supposed to remain pourable down to -40.

That coolant heater would be pretty slick in very cold temps, certainly worth trying to make work.

One other thing you might do is get a smart battery charger and make sure your battery is 100% charged. Weather extremes are very hard on a battery and weak battery will only be made worse in the cold. Best thing you can do to preserve the life of your battery is to keep it charged, but not over charged. If you consistently let it sit for long periods of time and then only rely on the alternator to bring it back up to full charge you will seriously cut down on the life of the battery. Hence the need for a smart charger. A slow, steady charge that will shut off when it's fully charged and then swap to a maintain mode is best.

 

I put in an 1100 CCA diehard and have the walmart battery (my Minnesotan father said they were really good) that came with the truck charged up in the garage. We usually don't touch -30F here in southern Wisconsin except maybe once or twice a year, but will give the fuel line antifreeze a little thinkin come late December.

 

Yeah it has to get really cold before gasoline starts to have problems. Even with that huge battery though, you can seriously improve it's life by keeping it fully charged. The less it is discharged when you try to start the truck, the less it will be discharged after the truck starts. This means the less the alternator will have to bring it back up.

Alternators are really horrible battery chargers because they will throw whatever current to the battery it can possibly take, regardless of how harmful it may be to the battery. Slow chargers are just that, slower, but they are much better on the battery. Just my $0.02, but if it were cold enough that I was going to try and use that coolant heater, a battery tender would just make good sense too. I would cut the power cords off of them both and hard wire them to a terminal block and then run ONE cord to a very handy location. Then you plug in one plug, and you've got them both. Might get some extra years out of that battery and ease your starts which will have to be good on your wallet.

Just curious, what size is that 1100CCA battery? Surely it's larger than stock. I've had one DieHard in my life and I nicknamed it the DieFast. Was fine in the morning, fine at lunch, dead at quitting time. This was on a nice 70* spring day and I parked in a very cool shaded parking garage. Alas all batteries die suddenly anymore and they don't hardly last for crap. My dad used to have a AC Delco on his '46 pickup that lasted 12 years. Anymore a Delco is lucky to last 3. It's all cutting corners in the name of "progress."

 

I would grease the frame. It will take a couple hours to get everything, and the main reason people don't do it is that it will make a mess, of you, somewhat of your truck, and absolutely of your driveway/garage, but your truck sounds kind of similar to mine, a driver/project that will never be rust free, and I'm doing mine later today.

Used oil works great, or you can use actual grease if you really want to go the extra mile, but just put it in a spray bottle, and blast everything. The whole frame, the axles, the engine mounts, leaf springs, and entire associated hardware and mounts, all hardlines, E brake cord/tube, shocks, underside of body, and even sprat some up inside the doors, bedsides, and fenders. Basically anywhere that might stay moist for more than a few minutes after moisture is introduced should be coated thick. Even that isn't perfect, and if it is an especially salty snowy winter, I would reapply in January or so, but that, in my opinion, is the best way to save the most metal without doing a whole frame up resto and coating everything.

Goodluck to a fellow salt battler, AleX

 

yeah, some forums I'm on I tend to get the questions for hard winter stuff, usually being the only guy in AK.... I have to remember we don't have a monopoly on this stuff. I know guys in upper new england, montanna etc that get more snow every year than we do, they don't seem to get as cold on average, but I've come to find there is a lot I don't know about hard winters...

Oh yeah, I forgot, dump a bottle of HEAT in with your next gas fill up, or the next two times, it will capture and burn through any moisture in your tank before it becomes frozen moisture in your carb or fuel lines... We try to run a bottle of it every few fill ups, but never seem to remember it, but usually its good to just get anything out of the system at the start of winter.

And a point for batteries, yeah, make sure its charged, has good high cold cranking power, and check the water level in it if it isn't a sealed battery. But DO NOT put one of those little heating pads under it/on it. All the new guys to AK every season stick on on to keep their battery warm so it don't freeze... If its charged and full it can't freeze, and the heat is terrible for them, will ruin a battery real fast cooking it with a heating pad.(a charged battery is actually more efficient in cooler temps than in the heat) Auto shop winterizations are real good for adding these things and saying you Have To have it, but then they're a little biased because they sell you a new battery every three months when you cook them...

I'd say at least grease your u-joints, any moisture in the grease in them can be fun, if they freeze solid, driving gets clunky till hey loosen, and its bad for the joint with diluted/frozen grease. Get a grease ratted for cold. I didn't think of that before, since I didn't do it this year after just rebuilding and greasing my front end recently.

G.

 

It seems to be a little larger than the battery tray. Heavy as sin, of course. Being as the tray is so rusty at this point, I can't be sure it wouldn't fit a stock location, but as I recall (in the shop at the moment), it's about a 1/4 inch too "long" in the tray. (When in place, it is long along the truck's fore-to-aft axis).