Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

General => General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion => Topic started by: thunderjet302 on October 07, 2010, 12:34:40 AM

Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: thunderjet302 on October 07, 2010, 12:34:40 AM
I was wondering if out door winter storage is a viable way to store a car over the winter. No I'm not doing that to my 88 as it has a garage to sit in from Nov. 1 till April 1:D. The reason I'm asking is I'd like to get a second Fox T-bird and I have no place to store it as I have a 1.5 car garage. The car would be sitting on a concrete driveway over the winter. Is their a way to keep a car nice or should I just wait till I put up a bigger garage?
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: ZondaC12 on October 07, 2010, 12:51:15 AM
Yeah man I kept the red car underneath a cover next to the house on a concrete paver pad my dad built years ago. Just can't *leave* it alone ;). If it snows and you can, brush it off, etc shovel snow away from it don't let it just get buried/pile up next to it/underneath it, let air flow around it so moisture won't just sit there and sneak into everywhere. Fill the tank with gas, dump like 2 containers of Sta-Bil in it, keep the battery inside and charge it with a trickle/float charger once every two weeks or something, no need to keep it charging constantly. Start 'n run the thing once a month let it fully warm up rev it up a little, blow out all the condensation in the exhaust, roll the windows down/leave a door open awhile to air out the cabin, call it good.
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: daminc on October 07, 2010, 08:15:03 AM
That, and as long as there's no salt on it.... it should be ok
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: vinnietbird on October 07, 2010, 05:55:13 PM
Here she is during the Christmas snow.............

(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Vinnietbird/DSCF6706.jpg)
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: 50tbrd88 on October 07, 2010, 06:56:41 PM
My car sat outside from '99-ish until 2004.  I just made sure to keep it on concrete or at least gravel and start it regularly.  The key is to keep moisture away as much as possible. 

I would not even put a car cover on as they tend to hold in moisture.  I also think they can tend to move around in the wind and scuff the paint. 

So what kind of Fox you lookin' for?  I would imagine good ones are getting hard to find in your area.
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: thunderjet302 on October 08, 2010, 12:00:45 AM
I'd like an 87-88 Turbo Coupe with an auto or an 86 5.0. Both of those are hard to find in any sort of shape resembling my 88 LX.... The search may go on for awhile;)
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: 50tbrd88 on October 09, 2010, 09:40:36 AM
I was on the road for work this week and spotted an immaculate black 87-88 TC in Clay City, IN.  I about went off the road watching it pull into a grocery store. 

Seeing a nice fox is about like seeing a leprechaun.  A rare sight indeed.
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: HAVI on October 09, 2010, 10:30:24 AM
I've seen pvc pipe put together to form just the right size skeletal shell to slide over a car with a tarp fastened to the pvc.  It keeps the snow off, and allows air flow at the same time.  Cost would be comparable to one of those canvas garages for $300.  Anyhow, as snow melts and freezes again, the tires will get stuck in place, so keep shoveling around the car to minimize that, and make sure puddles don't form where the tires meet the ground.  Also, as others said, keep it off the grass (acidic), and keep the salt away.  Just remember, snow is nothing but water.  I'd chuck some Bounce fabric softener in the trunk, front/rear seats, engine bay, etc... to keep the mice away.  They'll be looking for a place to stay for the Winter too.
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: Kitz Kat on October 09, 2010, 12:37:23 PM
Where will it live if you don't bring it home, out on the street?
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: thunderjet302 on October 13, 2010, 12:09:37 AM
Quote from: Kitz Kat;338733
Where will it live if you don't bring it home, out on the street?


Someone's driveway.;)
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on October 17, 2010, 07:54:11 PM
Quote from: thunderjet302;338519
I'd like an 87-88 Turbo Coupe with an auto

No you don't, they are a dog compared to the 5-speeds...
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: 83-88T-Bird Guy on October 18, 2010, 08:28:09 AM
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;339825
No you don't, they are a dog compared to the 5-speeds...


I Agree....too bad Ford put a weak auto trans in those cars.
However, that fact worked to my advantage 10 years ago when we were buying up 87-88 TCs for cheap with broken automatics.
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: 50tbrd88 on October 18, 2010, 10:22:09 AM
The 8.8 in my car came out of a white TC indentical looking to TurboCoupe50's.  The car was very nice and mostly there (the only major thing gone was the turbo).  It only had 80,xxx miles.  The guy junked it because the  original trans went out and he couldnt afford to fix it.
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: thunderjet302 on October 18, 2010, 12:17:17 PM
So an auto TC is a bad idea. Got ya:D
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on October 18, 2010, 01:51:18 PM
Agreed the A4LD trans is basically junk, few made it past 100K even though boost was limited to 9-10psi(150Hp) in a effort to let it live...  When I bought mine at 111K it already had a junk yard transmission in it(had the classic yellow paint markings on it), sold it to a friend to put in a NA  2.3 Stang...
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: FLSTCI71 on November 02, 2010, 09:38:41 PM
Just don't get too much snow on it, like our 88 TC....
Title: Out door winter storage?
Post by: thunderjet302 on November 04, 2010, 01:03:14 AM
Where's the TC?;)