Winterization/Race Car Storage

[Greg Barsamian]

Question/Opinions on:

What "Best Practices" you do to Winterize/Store your Race Car for 4-6 months In an "Unheated" Trailer?
Do you:
Put AntiFreeze in your Cooling System or just drain it?
"Fog" the Engine w/Marvel Mystery Oil/Marine Oil
Drain the Fuel System, and/or fill it with Marvel Mystery Oil?
Back off the Rocker Arms
Drain the Transmission Fluid?
Drain the Rear End?
Plug the Collectors/Headers
Put Dryer Sheets/Moth Ball in the Car?
Use any type of Rodent Repellent?
Remove the Wheels and Tires, and store them "flat" in a heated environment?

I'd like to hear/read (and so would many others) what racers do to "hybernate" Race Cars in the Winter/Off Season?

Thanks in Advance for posting

[Lenny5160]

Originally Posted by Greg Barsamian

Question/Opinions on:

What "Best Practices" you do to Winterize/Store your Race Car for 4-6 months In an "Unheated" Trailer?
Do you:
Put AntiFreeze in your Cooling System or just drain it?
"Fog" the Engine w/Marvel Mystery Oil/Marine Oil
Drain the Fuel System, and/or fill it with Marvel Mystery Oil?
Back off the Rocker Arms
Drain the Transmission Fluid?
Drain the Rear End?
Plug the Collectors/Headers
Put Dryer Sheets/Moth Ball in the Car?
Use any type of Rodent Repellent?
Remove the Wheels and Tires, and store them "flat" in a heated environment?

I'd like to hear/read (and so would many others) what racers do to "hybernate" Race Cars in the Winter/Off Season?

Thanks in Advance for posting

I put antifreeze in the cooling system.

Remove carburetor (stored inside) and spray fogging oil into intake runners while turning engine over. Then put duct tape over the manifold top.

Back rockers off on any valves that are open.

Remove batteries, which stay in my cold garage but on a Battery Tender.

Remove rear wheels to store slicks inside. Frontrunners stay on.

That's it. I do nothing special for the fuel system, trans, or rear before winter, nor do I address those in the spring.

I do throw moth balls under/around the trailer.

[rod butcher]

Greg,

Mystery oil to fog engine
Drain water from lower block plugs
Back off all open rockers
Fresh Cab rodent repellent inside car (amazon)
Take slicks off and store indoors in there still good
Battery on tender, remove and store indoors
I leave fuel in carb and shoot a few shots of mystery oil in vent
Also leave a 1/2 gal fuel in tank and burn it off in spring

Rod

[nhramnl]

Used to back-off rockers on open valves, but was told (quite a few years ago) by a well-respected valve spring source that it might be smarter to just turn the engine over 90 degrees, a couple of times a month. The representative of the company said that modern valve springs actually don't take a "set", and I've verified that by checking pressures after a season of downtime. Also, by turning the engine over (versus backing rockers off), the possibility of valves, seats and stems getting rusty is decreased, as well as piston rings sticking to a cylinder bore. Not criticizing anyone, just offering an alternate viewpoint.

[Weekend Racer]

Take off carb, Take off all spark plug,take off both valve cover .Turn engine so 4 intake valve are close.Some shot of Mystery oil In each intake valve (port runner) that are close .Hand tight spark plug on this 4 cylinder . Turn engine with starter.Do the same thing to the 4 other intake valve . Take off all rocker arm. replace both valve cover. Turn the engine one or two turn slowy manually once a month.! Some prestone in radiator, turn the electric water pump one time a month.Plug the fuel line .Happy winter