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Time for Winter Storage

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Old 11-21-2023, 02:35 PM
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Time for Winter Storage

This past Sunday I drove my '88 Trans Am about 50 miles from home to where I store it for the winter. The is my 35th year of winter storage. Hard to believe how the years have flown. This is one of the later dates that I've taken my car in for storage. Often times it is late October or the first weekend in November. On my way I stopped to take a few photos.









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Old 11-21-2023, 02:49 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

One of the best looking cars on the planet
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Old 11-21-2023, 04:01 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by dmccain
One of the best looking cars on the planet
You are too kind. Thanks!
Old 11-21-2023, 08:08 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

It's tough to put them away and admit you've driven them for the last time this season.
Old 11-22-2023, 06:36 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Fortunately for me, I live in central Texas, and although my cars are garaged and covered, I drive them year round.
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Old 11-22-2023, 09:05 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

That car IS totally awesome looking. Beautiful!

But....

Originally Posted by kfsullivan
T


Whoa, whoa, WHOA!! .....where's the 1sq foot carpet pieces under each tire!?? That thing ain't ready for "winter storage"! You obviously don't care about that car at all!




J/k....and making fun of peoples "storage religion" from other forums.
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Old 11-22-2023, 10:58 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

I used to park mine at a nearby fairgrounds in their big display building. Was $65 for the winter and really clean dry storage. They had a removal day and that was like a pretty big car show there, lots or really cool cars, and fun to watch people try to get them running after 4 months. You guys down south really have it made in that respect.
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Old 11-22-2023, 11:34 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by Tom 400 CFI
That car IS totally awesome looking. Beautiful!

But....




Whoa, whoa, WHOA!! .....where's the 1sq foot carpet pieces under each tire!?? That thing ain't ready for "winter storage"! You obviously don't care about that car at all!




J/k....and making fun of peoples "storage religion" from other forums.
You are right about not ready for storage. For the first 8 or 10 years I would put the car up on blocks to keep the weight off the suspension, but after moving on to different storage locations this was so convenient to do. As long as I have a dry location with a concrete floor I feel pretty good. The main thing to worry about is mice. I prescribe to the dryer sheet myth, but knock-on-wood it has worked for me. I'll get the car back out in late April or early May.

Old 11-22-2023, 11:35 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by tom3
I used to park mine at a nearby fairgrounds in their big display building. Was $65 for the winter and really clean dry storage. They had a removal day and that was like a pretty big car show there, lots or really cool cars, and fun to watch people try to get them running after 4 months. You guys down south really have it made in that respect.
That is still common in Wisconsin. The fair grounds make a few bucks and the storage is generally the cheapest option, but you have to get the car there and then remove it on the prescribed days.
Old 11-22-2023, 11:37 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by Roorancher
Fortunately for me, I live in central Texas, and although my cars are garaged and covered, I drive them year round.
Great looking cars. I was in Dallas back in late February/early March when they had that ice storm. Not a good time to be driving a third gen on these roads. Not salt trucks in Texas to keep the ice off the roads. LOL
Old 11-22-2023, 02:25 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by kfsullivan
You are right about not ready for storage. For the first 8 or 10 years I would put the car up on blocks to keep the weight off the suspension, but after moving on to different storage locations this was so convenient to do. As long as I have a dry location with a concrete floor I feel pretty good. The main thing to worry about is mice. I prescribe to the dryer sheet myth, but knock-on-wood it has worked for me. I'll get the car back out in late April or early May.
Ha ha ha....I was joking about the carpet squares. And the jacking/storage on wood blocks. "You know, leaving your shocks (and struts, in this case) fully extended is going to cause the shock rods to rust!!"

Change the oil, fill the gas tank, park it. For mice, forget about the moth *****, the dryer sheets and other un-knowns, use something that WORKS: Use Decon.
Old 11-22-2023, 03:44 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by kfsullivan
Great looking cars. I was in Dallas back in late February/early March when they had that ice storm. Not a good time to be driving a third gen on these roads. Not salt trucks in Texas to keep the ice off the roads. LOL
I live about 65 miles south of Fort Worth. I have a fairly large garage. I keep my 94 in there because I use it more often, my wife's Saturn Sky Roadster that I just bought her for our 35th Wedding Anniversary, my Gator, and space for my "shop." A few years back, I bought a vacant steel building about a mile down the road that used to be a drive thru beer barn, and I keep the 91 there, along with a 71 Cheyenne Shortbed, my boat when it isn't in the marina, and a PWC. I use the 30 foot cooler to store auto parts and equipment. Our 3 DDs stay outside.

You were definitely in Texas the worst part of the year. Statistically, the worst weather is 2 weeks in February.....but I live by this motto: No Sun, No Stars, No Cars.
Old 11-22-2023, 06:30 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by Tom 400 CFI
use something that WORKS: Use Decon.
Decon is not an option for people with pets. Mice will literally move it around and drop it somewhere else. And a pet can die if they eat a dead mouse full of Decon.

My wife uses a mint spray on the tires of our RV. Burns the sinuses of rodents and repels QwkTrips too. That stuff is STRONG. Has to be applied frequently though. Mint grown out west works a lot better than midwest or eastern US.

Mice also find petroleum products repulsive. Previous owner of my RV soaked cotton ***** with mint and piled it up on the tires, and rubbed 303 leather cleaner on many surfaces inside the vehicle. Parked the RV outside with woods all around and never had a mouse. That's quite amazing if you know how much mice love getting into RV's. Keeping mice out of a car is 100x easier than keeping mice out of an RV.

I have used pet safe VoleX on voles in my yard. Wipes out the entire population. I'm not sure how well the sister product MouseX works (voles eat different than mice).

Last edited by QwkTrip; 11-22-2023 at 06:39 PM.
Old 11-22-2023, 06:44 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by QwkTrip
Decon is not an option for people with pets. Mice will literally move it around and drop it somewhere else. And a pet can die if they eat a dead mouse full of Decon.
That might be a good point. Never had that issue -even though we have pets, but have had it get rid of the mice, quick. But, it's a good thing to consider.
Old 11-22-2023, 09:02 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

The storage unit my Chrysler has been banished to since the garage fire is almost entirely ringed in rat sized glue pads. I buy some every time I'm at the store, and when I visit it every few weeks I change out the pads with critters, or more generally, the ones that have gotten too dusty to be effective anymore. I sprinkle a granular repellent outside the door of the unit, and a spray a liquid version around the perimeter inside. Interior, trunk and engine compartment of the car are lined with a generous amount of drier sheets that I change 3 or 4 times a year. In two years, I've probably caught 6-8 mice on the glue pads. None in the car though, thank God.

I hope to have her back home soon.
Old 11-22-2023, 09:10 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by QwkTrip
Decon is not an option for people with pets. Mice will literally move it around and drop it somewhere else. And a pet can die if they eat a dead mouse full of Decon.
Originally Posted by Tom 400 CFI
That might be a good point. Never had that issue -even though we have pets, but have had it get rid of the mice, quick. But, it's a good thing to consider.
Well, it appears that the danger is much lower than the original post made it seem to me:

ONE SOURCE"the average 20-pound dog would need to consume 1.6 to 96 ounces of the most common baits, depending on its species and a few other factors. While that is a vast spectrum, it is still more than most dogs will consume via secondary poisoning. However, it is still a risk, especially with smaller dogs. "


ANOTHER...
  • Your pet would need to consume about 20% of its body weight in rodenticides in order to ingest a fatal amount, which is far more than the average amount of bait in a residential home
  • Your pet would need to repeatedly consume large quantities of poisoned rodent carcasses over a period of several days to be negatively affected by secondary poisoning
So, on the rare occasion that I need it, I'll probably keep using Decon, b/c it works, and it works "Right now".
Old 11-22-2023, 09:56 PM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

My wife is a veterinarian.

That article isn't true. Rodenticides come in many varieties, some are weaker, some are very potent.

Secondary poisoning is less of a problem. Bigger concern is mice move that stuff around and your dog can find it. It smells and tastes sweet and is enticing to dogs. A lot of times owners don't know their dogs ate it until symptoms and by then it could be too late. It's just not worth the risk.

Cats are less likely to eat it but when they do you just find them dead and the owners don't know why.
Old 11-23-2023, 12:28 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Originally Posted by QwkTrip
My wife is a veterinarian.

That article isn't true. Rodenticides come in many varieties, some are weaker, some are very potent.
Huh. Which article?

There are a bunch more that essentially say the same thing, even ones by veterinarian based websites.

I hear steel wool works.....
Old 11-23-2023, 01:13 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

Life is full of decisions.
Old 11-23-2023, 10:26 AM
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Re: Time for Winter Storage

That is true. I don't need to decide, however; I'm partial to the stuff that works.

It's a great point that you brought up; something people should be cognizant of, for sure.

Happy Thanksgiving.
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