Getting Ready for Winter Storage
Article originally posted on Moss Motors website

In our part of the country it is preferable to store your car for a period during the winter months. There are numerous opinions on the do's and don'ts of storage, and below are a few thoughts from Moss Motors conveying some concepts their collective experience has shown to be good for short-term (2-6 months) storage.

Renew engine oil and filter Renew anti-freeze mixture Top up the tank with fuel- the higher the octane, the better, since gasoline tends to lose some of its octane as time goes on. Start car and run until normal operating temperature has been achieved. This helps burn off some of the moisture that accumulates in the exhaust system. Otherwise, the condensation will prematurely rust out your exhaust system come spring. (Installing a stainless steel exhaust system on your car is a nice piece of insurance against such an event!) Disconnect power to your fuel pump and continue to run engine until carburetors are dry. Turn off ignition and reconnect fuel pump. (This is also a good time to remove float bowl covers and clean any moisture or sediment out of your float bowls.) Remove air cleaners and tape over the carburetor intakes. Plug the end of the exhaust pipe with rags. This prevents moist air entering the engine and forming rust on the faces and seats of the valves which are open. Thoroughly wash interior and exterior of car, paying particular attention to the underside and wheel well areas, being sure to rid the area of damaging road salt and other corrosive materials Next, wax the painted and chrome surfaces, as well as applying ArmorAll or similar preservative to all rubber and vinyl, including the interior. Apply a particularly heavy coat on the convertible top rear window inside and out. This will help extend the life and transparency of the rear windows. Remove battery/batteries and store indoors, being sure not to store directly on a concrete floor. Store the car on jack stands to prevent flat spots in tires. Be sure to place jack stands under suspension components so the car rests on its suspension, rather than remaining fully extended for a long period. Leave handbrake in the off position. Use a full car cover to keep the dust off, as well as sunlight that may come in from a window. It is advisable to keep the car windows closed to keep mice and other rodents from setting up shop inside your car!   WANTED: Great roadsters, coupes, and Magnettes! British Car Week's 2014 Crown Jewels Show is being moved inside the Hot Springs Convention Center. Each national club will be invited to send three cars to display. Barrett Harrison is looking for the very best roadster, coupe and Magnette available to represent NAMGAR. Contact him at barrett10@sbcglobal.net. Barrett Harrison is looking for NAMGAR's best examples for display at the 2014 British Car Week show. The above announcement will appear in the September/October issue of MGA! ~~ Russ Mehaffey