OK, it's January. It's cold. There is a ton of snow on the ground. How about a different topic, but related to the season. And it may help spread some good information on how to preserve your car for the winter months.

HOW and WHERE do you store your Z for the winter?

Me? I store three of them in my garage/shop, the fourth is in my son's garage. Fortunately my garage is heated, I keep it at 45 degrees all winter long and there is no in-and-out traffic. Here are my general rules for winter storage, heated garage or not:

* Store the car indoors in a dry, secure building. Outdoor storage DOES NOT work! Make sure nothing can fall on the car while stored.
* Park the car on a vapor barrier (those blue tarps work great), not wood, not carpet, not bare concrete, not gravel, not dirt. Moisture is THE enemy!
* Fill the gas tank, treat with STAY-BIL.
* Wash, wax, vacuum, clean the car.
* Change the oil/filter. Top off all fluids.
* Leave the windows open a half inch or so to allow air circulation.
* If stored in an area where critters may be present, put a rag in the air intake AND tailpipe. Put a post it note on the steering wheel to remind you of this in the spring.
* On pre-350Z cars, remove the battery and store indoors in the basement. Do not put on concrete floor, place on a block of wood. On 350Z/370Z, you will have to leave the battery installed as to not set off a power interruption code on the computer. In this case I use "Battery Tender" NOT a trickle charger.
* Put a couple extra pounds of air in the tires.
* Leave the emergency brake OFF, transmission in gear.
* Cover with a good quality breathable cover and say "goodbye" until the spring!

This has worked for me for over 30 years. What do you all do?

_________________
John Taddonio
1970 240Z
1977 530Z
1984 300ZXT
zcarnut@hotmail.com
FB: Zccr zcarclubofrochester

Well, I just read about 5-6 things I'm doing wrong!

Why do you go to all that trouble anyway, John? We hear it doesn't snow in Rochester anyway.

John,

Since I like to make sure I have adequate oil pressure on the initial engine start up in the spring I also disconnect the coil wire in the fall. That way you can crank the engine over a few times to get the oil pressure established before plugging it in and actually starting the car.

I also store my Z in a car "sleeping bag". These are available for less then $200 online. You just spread out the bottom of the bag, drive your car onto it, place your normal car cover on the car and then close up the bag. The bag comes with 10 pounds of moisture absorbing material that you place under the car. Supposedly the absorbent absorbs the moisture in the bag and therefore limits the amount of moisture the car is exposed to over the winter. I do doubt that the zipper is air tight as they claim though. I especially like it because it may deter "critters" from having access to the car. My hope is that they will find more accessible housing elsewhere in the garage before they decide to chew through the thick cover!

_________________
Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster

I'm with Frank. I'm already violating most of your rules!

I would like to point out that this is the first year I have my Z stored in a garage for the winter. I closed on my house in late November, and got her tucked away just before the snow began. In past years I've kept the car in a "portable garage" and / or under a tarp throughout the winter months.

_________________
280zx NA to T... http://z.modeltrainguide.com

About every 10 days I like to start and warm my Z, and if conditions permit, drive it back and forth in the driveway to scrub the rotors and stir up the gearbox and differential. That precludes 'deep' storage, unless I wanted to unpack the car and take it back down off the stands, etc. At this point all I do is remember to take the trickle charger off before leaving the heated garage.

I keep telling myself I am keeping the tires from flat-spotting, keeping the brakes from locking/freeZing up, keeping the SUs and fuel pump wet and keeping the handbrake cable moving. I also like the idea of stirring the 10/50 weight Valvoline every so often. I won't take it out into the street, altho I haven't actually seen any trucks flinging salt or sand on my road. I just know there isn't any in my driveway, so the worst that can happen is I get the car wet, which happens anytime I wash it anyway.

My Z starts this year with a fresh undercoat of RhinoLiner, which I tell myself is impervious to the elements (I'm probably wrong ~ mother nature wins every battle). So even if a little salt managed to get up under there, it might not do as much damage as I fear.

My car is supposed to be a 'driver' anyway, not a showcar. It will never look as good as John T's or Colin G's, or John K's or Bev B's or any of the other dozen "perfect" Zs in our community. All the work I did to it this past year should simply serve to keep it roadworthy for another decade or two. I should be safely dead by then, and the next curator can worry about the second restoration.

If I can't DRIVE this thing, why in the world did I pour so much money into it last year? I've searched for 23 years to get this car back, and it was ready for the crusher when I sadly let it go back in the mid-'80s, and I was driving it in that condition back then. So today it's not only better than it was when I sold it, it's actually better than it was NEW in some ways. It took me more than a decade to 'kill' the car the first time, and I was driving it every day then, rain, shine, snow, ice, mountains, desert , seaside beaches ~ you name it. With all the work it's had done to it, and with all new parts, the total mechanical rebuild and the RhinoLiner, the car probably has a greater life expectancy than I do this time, especially if I drive other cars as often as I do this one.

There are actually dayz I am tempted to take it out and blast around in the snow! I used to love sliding corners with the handbrake when nobody was around!

Frank

Ah yes Frank, by all means DRIVE YOUR Z! Just not in the salt. And believe it or not, I do drive mine as well, otherwise what is the purpose?

Anyway, a couple of observations on your post:

If you do decide to start the car while in storage, you MUST run it up to full operating temperature otherwise moisture will condense in the exhaust and intake systems and that will cause more harm than good. Also, moisture can get into the fuel and oil causing problems. So, if you start it, DRIVE it for at least 30 minutes.

If you do drive it, even on "dry" winter roads, that very fine salt powder will find its way into every nook and cranny of your Z just waiting for some moisture to turn it into the equivalent of sulfuric acid on your Z.

So if you ask me, it is best to just let the car sit.

5 or 6 months of inactivity on your Z will not harm it. Modern radial tires will not develop the dreaded "flat spots" if left sitting for only few months.

Not necessary to put your car up on stands for the winter. It will only put unnecessary stress on suspension components. If you must, remove the wheels to lessen the weight.

Now LONG TERM storage, that is a year or more, has different precautions. That will be a tale for another post another day!

_________________
John Taddonio
1970 240Z
1977 530Z
1984 300ZXT
zcarnut@hotmail.com
FB: Zccr zcarclubofrochester

John, that was EXCELLENT, but I do have a question:

If I DON'T fill the fuel tank, I'm allowing airspace in the tank in which con-
densation can develop, which can form droplets. These, being heavier
than gasoline, can sink to the bottom and cause internal rust. Two bad
results, as I see it: (a) rusting thru the tank, and/or (b) the droplets
and the rust being pumped thru the fuel lines. Hopefully the fuel filter
would trap the rust particles, but I'm not at all sure about the droplets.

On the other hand if I DO fill the tank but DON'T drive the car, or drive it
very sparingly, then I am risking the gasoline morphing into varnish which
gums everything up.

So the question is: Is one (filling) better than the other (not filling) , or is
there a happy medium somewhere between?
And a related question: are original type fuel filters still available from
Nissan and/or from other parts chains, or are you using some other
type of fuel filters nowadays?

All Z Best,...................................Kathy & Rick

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

My storage process is simpler but not nearly as effective:

Drive into garage
Turn off ignition
Exit car
Open beer

_________________
Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles

Looks like another 'dark & stormy' night in the Prez's garage...

(Ross & Al ~:lol: )

(Rick ~ I do use half a can of dry gas for the cold weather, anyway).

Frank,

I think it all depends on the "state" of your Z when it comes to winter storage. My Z is in no way a show car. Nor has it ever been restored. My efforts are to keep the remaining sheetmetal for as long as I can reallizing that rust set in long before I owned it!! Someday, when I win the lottery or find that sack of money by the side of the road, I will be in a position to do a restoration. Until then, its preservation!!

_________________
Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster

Cleaning out my garage now. too much stuff to fit a car and parts with out some SERIOUS organization.

Actually I'm heading there now to make more room.

Before


Now!


OH NOs!

Rick, you are right on the money. A less than full tank will develop condensation that will sink to the bottom of the tank and cause rust. Should not be a big problem unless left sitting for an extended time, more than one winter. If rust forms, it can compromise the tank, lines and filter. Filter is an easy fix, but the source of the problem can be more of a job.

And yes, the fuel filters are still available from Nissan OR any auto parts store for about six bucks.

It would take better than six months for gasoline to change into something less than gasoline, eventually thickening and turning into "varnish" (ever SMELL that stuff????)

STA-BIL fuel preservative treats the gas and slows the chemical breakdown hugely. It also forms a film ON TOP of the gas in the tank to eliminate the condensation problem. You pour into the tank the appropriate amount per gallon of gas, then run the car for about 15 minutes to circulate the Sta-Bil through the entire fuel system. It will keep everything fresh from the tank to the intake. I've been using it for years with no issues.

And NO, this is NOT a paid endorsement!

LOL

_________________
John Taddonio
1970 240Z
1977 530Z
1984 300ZXT
zcarnut@hotmail.com
FB: Zccr zcarclubofrochester

I see two things I'm doing wrong in storing my Z31

1) Have to add heat to my mother's garage
2) Have to visit Ross more often and drink all his beer

_________________
2005 350Z Grand Touring Convertible

I actually "unstored" my Z for half an hour today. It was so nice outside, I started it up and drove it around the backroads for about 30 minutes, just to hear those pipes again (it seems like years already). I purposely avoided all the main roads, where I knew they had salted. Certainly the side roads have a bit of salt on them, tracked-in by other traffic, but I stayed on the crown of the road and avoided wet spots.

The transmission seems "stiffer" than it did when I put it up. The balk rings actually did a better job today than they did throughout the Fall, and I'm sure the oil is thicker in the cold.

I just wanted to stir up the oil in the gearbox and differential, and scrub the new rotors to make sure they don't even think about rusting.

"Full operating temperature" for my car is at the top of the first 1/3rd of the temp gauge, regardless of the external temps. I suspect I will replace the thermostat with a hotter unit this Spring. I could do the New York Winter trick and slip a bit of cardboard in front of the radiator if I take it out again soon, just to heat it up some more and burn off any condensation.

It was great to drive it again. (Sigh!)