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Hot Tips for Cold Storage |
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Written by Colin Comer
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First, make sure the garage is dry. A good dehumidifier is a wise investment. If the car is parked on a concrete slab, I like laying down a thick sheet of plastic first, and then a nice thick carpet or piece cardboard to block the moisture and keep the chassis from sweating. Don't try to heat the garage; all you will do is cause temperature variations that will create condensation. Fill the gas tank with non-reformulated fuel and the appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer.
Forgive me for stating the obvious--make sure the antifreeze is fresh and mixed at 50/50. Get the car good and hot before you park it to burn off moisture from the exhaust and various lubricated components. You can " fog" the engine with cylinder lubricant through the intake right before you shut it off if so inclined. Leave the car on the ground and air up the tires to their maximum allowable pressure as listed on the tire sidewall.
You can leave the battery in, but make sure to disconnect it and attach a maintenance float-type battery charger. Leave the windows cracked slightly, and throw a few commercial-sized bags of desiccant in the interior. When cool, seal the engine air intake and shove some old socks in the tailpipes to keep critters out. Make sure the car is clean and dry, with a nice coat of wax, and put a soft indoor-type car cover on it (not a Harbor Freight blue RV tarp).
Resist the urge to " just warm it up a little" during the winter; all that does is load the engine oil with contaminants and fill the exhaust with water, along with washing all the oil from the cylinder walls. Use common sense, keep it dry, keep the garage critter-free, and rest easy knowing your car will be ready to go after those April showers clean the salt from the frost-heaved Wisconsin roads.
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Where are all of the performance parts? |
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Written by the Administrator
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Why are there so few parts available for customizing the fourth generation Corvette? Why the apathy? Are our beloved C4's so wonderful and perfect that they can't be made any better? I find that very hard to believe. Every other car that I've owned (and I've had many others and they weren't all Corvettes either!) had a multitude of performance and appearance parts available to personalize the vehicle to your own likes and needs. Everything from the lowly Volkswagen Beetle or Type-3 to the venerable Chevy Vega or Ford Pinto. The Camaro, Mustang, Firebird, Charger, Challenger and Nova all had an extensive and still growing aftermarket. Even the other generations of our preferred flagship have an apparent growing supply of aftermarket parts and accessories. Just look in any of the major Corvette suppliers. The section for the C4 is considerably smaller.
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