What does everyone here do to get their trucks ready for the winter (for those who actually HAVE winter)?

 

I love my truck. I won't drive it in the winter here in Minnesota - they use too much road salt. So, I drive it into the garage until April or so. Anyplace that uses road salt to deice, I would not drive in winter.

That being said, if I were to drive in winter, I would make sure I had winter/hotter thermostat, snow tires (if I didn't have radials), good winter wiper blades, good quality windshield washer fluid, up to snuff heater fan and I'd make sure she was roadworthy. Seriously cold weather has a way of exposing the weak parts. Try to get it insulated as well as possible. Some of these old rattetraps have serious air leaks and you'll freeze your *** off even with the heater on full blast. Many of these old heater fans don't put out too well. And don't ever go anywhere without cold weather gear - you just might end up walking.

 

Ya wanting to store it for winter or drive it for winter? My classics outside if the paint is done get antifreeze for sure, a 60 watt light bulb or heat lamp inside, A tight custom soft car cover than a tarp held down with water jugs all the way to the ground so wind can't get under them and cause them to flap and wear on the paint. If it's below zero I don't start them but below 32 to about zero I like to start them and run em to operating temp or so every few weeks to keep the seals lubed and rust free. I also use block heaters but only turn them on the day before I plan to start them to warm the oil and block up a bit. Another reason to tarp tight to the ground is to help keep the rodents at bay. And I keep the snow swept off so it don,t build up and cave the top in.

 

I'm in upstate NY and plan on garaging my bought-this-summer '64 to keep it out of the salt. It came equipped with a block heater, so I hope to be able to start it and run it every 2 weeks from Dec - April to keep everything in running condition.

If you're not running your truck all winter long, here's a generic winter checklist I once found online. I especially like the parts about storing the battery indoors and taking the weight off the tires to prevent flat-spotting.

1) I either take the car to be washed and waxed, or do it myself.
2) I get the oil changed the day I store it.
3) I put a full tank of gas in it, and add Stabil. It's a fuel treatment that prevents water from condensing up in the tank. I suppose you could use Heat fuel treatment, but check to make sure. Steps 2 and 3 are what I do for my lawn mower and snow thrower when I store them. Don't forget to let the car run for about two minutes after you add the Stabil. The label has directions on how much to add in ratio per gallon.
4) I take the battery out of the car and bring it inside the house to sit in a (relatively) constant temperature area. This keeps the battery from dying while sitting connected to the car, or from sitting disconnected in a cold garage. Does it work? Well, it's 2005 and the Mustang has the same Autolite battery I bought it with in 1999.
5) I put the car on jackstands just high enough so the tires don't touch the pavement. I've heard the tires can get flat-spotted if the car sits on them too long.
6) I put a car cover over the car to keep (most) of the dust and dirt off.
7) When I bring the car down and install the battery in the spring, the first stop is a gas station with air to check the air pressure in the tires, before driving the car the rest of the summer.

 

This is like asking what motor oil do you use and why?
Lots of different opinions and reasons for their choices.....

I also do NOT drive my '65s for the "salt season" here in Michigan. In my neck of the woods, that equates to from about the first week of Nov to about the third week of March.

-- I prefer to store them inside a non-heated building. My second choice is under a car port roof. Then 3rd is just on/over a slab of concrete, asphalt, gravel or dirt. My last choice is on grass. If you have to park on grass, just before parking your truck, cut the grass as short as you can. This will allow the maximum amount of air to circulate under the truck while it's parked. Parking over long grass or on a low/damp section of the yard will promote moisture to condensate under your truck and it'll rust the undercarriage like CRAZY while its parked there! And don't park them under a tree. Nuts, leaves, sticks, sap all will rain down on your truck the whole time it's there - not good! If it does end up outside, keep them swept off, so heavy snow & ice doesn't build up on top of the roof and hood. This will also reduce the amount of water/ice getting into the cowl vent. Be careful how you brush off your truck - so you don't scratch the finish in the process.

-- I ensure the fuel tank is at least over 1/2 full of premium or mid-grade gasoline. If I used regular grade fuel, I'd add some additive. Grease the joints and check/top off the trans and differential gear lube and bring all the tire pressures up to at least 35 psi.

-- I usually put a fresh motor oil change & filter into them in Oct/Nov and they'll be good until June.

-- Most important! Religiously, I'll start them once a month and let them run at 1000-1500 rpms for 10-15 minutes. If the truck is inside or there isn't too much snow, I will slip a floor jack under the rear diff and jack the rear tires off the ground. Then I slip the transmission into reverse then brake, then first gear, then second gear and allow the tires to turn while they're up off the ground. Probably 5 minutes or so. This will give the trans and differential a chance to stir the gear lube and re-lube the related seals some. I run the heater and the fan to ensure I get the coolant circulated through there and that I've got the engine up to operating temps before I shut it back down.

In years past, I have removing the battery, but I've found that if I don't have any electrical shorts in the system, my battery stays fine. I've also put the trucks up on blocks at each corner, but I've never noticed any difference with my tires and axle bearings, they've wintered just fine after sitting on the ground. I've had good luck by just doing what I listed above. But of course, "Your mileage may vary".

Good Luck!
BarnieTrk

 

I have also seen people throw a heavy coat of wax over the paint and leave it. You can wait to buff it until after the first wash of the spring. Crap will stick to the wax and if you try to directly buff it out it can scratch the paint. You might also want to think about sticking some tennis ***** in the exhaust pipe to prevent mice and rats from crawling up them. It is kind cheap insurance, besides if you forget them you will be reminded when they come flying out of the tailpipe with a "THUNGK" sound.

Yes I know I am in California now but I grew up in Rochester NY. I do remember having to save my fathers 442 for the winter months with him.

 

BarnieTrk

 

Well, I'm not planning to store mine....the winters here are generally mild, and I use it all the time. (Don't have a storage facility even if I wanted to go that route.) I will check the anti-freeze/level and get the oil changed with a bit lighter weight. I had the heater core replaced this year and have already installed insulation in the doors, floor, and under the headliner. I've also replaced the weather stripping in the small gaps in the door. I checked the firewall/under the dash to make sure that all the holes and cable slots were covered to keep the breezes down. The heater blower works OK, but I've added a tiny fan that circulates the air without too much of a breeze---plugs into the accessories plug, which is one of the modernizatons I added. Installed a new radiator last year, so I think with just the few mentioned suggestions, I'm ready to roll. (I have good, all-weather tires on the truck already, and I put rain-x on the windshield to assist the new wiper blades in removing any precipitation from view.)

a BIG thanks for all the suggestions/help!!!

 

Yes, I am also a Rain-X fan as well.

Another thought here - years ago, I HAD to drive my '65 one Winter. I also noticed that the heater was marginal at best. However, I slipped a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator (but behind the grill) and it allowed the engine to warm up slightly more & allowed the heater to make it much more comfortable in the cab.
The only down side to the cardboard blocking the front air was that I couldn't let it idle more than a 5 minutes (if the engine was already warmed up to operating temp), or the engine temps would begin to climb up. If you have a working temp gage you can monitor it, but don't walk away and let it run for 15-20 minutes... or you'll be sorry.

Also, in my '94 Ranger, I have an inline lower radiator hose heater. That baby works great and my 4-banger Ranger loves it on those cooooold Feb mornings!

BarnieTrk

 

Get a 50/50 mix of antifreeze & grocery store distilled water in the radiator, 10W30 oil and you should be good to go. Your weather isn't much different than here in N. Central NC




John

 

Winterization? I plan on throwing 4 buckets of sand and a set of tire chains in the bed and driving to work, same as always.

 

I'm a Californian, so I fortunately don't have to deal with this....but I also came from New York winters and Canadian winters. I would garage it for sure if I was back east.
Mice eat foam, like crazy. My wife keeps her Camry in the garage a lot, and mice are my concern there. An old crow told me to put "Bounce" dryer sheets on top of the tires, as apparently, mice hate the smell. Seems to work, no more attempts at nesting in the Camry's engine comp or wire chewing. I also set mouse traps around the tires with peanut butter as bate-they LOVE it! Then again...??...Back east in winter it would be a Peanut butter popcicle...maybe mix in a little prestone! One other thing, a guy I know stores a bunch of cars and has a "sonar" type of high pitched noise maker in each car that we can't hear and that the rats and mice hate....keeps them away. I'd also fire the truck up once a week.

 

I'm gonna assume that's a typo

 

Thanks, again for all the help and suggestions!