Welly Jen Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Fill the tyres with helium so the car weighs less, avoiding flat spots. Install a system to fill the fuel tank with helium as the fuel level goes down. Not only will it reduce the weight, it will also eliminate the fire risk of having air above the petrol. Don't try using hydrogen instead. Don't fill the chassis and roll bar tubes with helium though, or your car will float away. Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welly Jen Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hi Hammy, Remove the Garfield from inside the windscreen and store it for the winter out of direct sunlight. A perished paw suction cup is a certain MOT failure come the spring. Jenny Hi I'm a " typical" westie owner and have sorn my car for the winter- done 500 miles this year and it needed a big service again ! so far I've: Changed the brake fluid Took the sump off and cleaned it out Put some very expensive racing oil in it Sucked the oil out of the gearbox and diff and replaced it Put new plugs in Had the injectors cleaned It didn't start too well on one ocassion , so I've ordered a geared starter and a very small battery. Changed the coolant after having rad re cored ( the water was a bit dirty when I drained it ), just in case I swapped the stat and drilled a hole in it.. I've bought some new R888's and had them buffed down to 2mm ( I wore the old ones out this year!). In the spring ill get the geo done again as I drove over a lolly stick in the spring and fear it might be a bit out I'm desperate to spend more money , is there something I've missed ? - my mate who does the speed series has his engine refreshed ( new bearing etc ) every 10 miles, should I get mine done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighc Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Where's XI129 when you need him, he'd have been brilliant for this thread. I always turn my wishbones upside in the winter so the bushes don't dry out. sometimes I forgot to put them back the right way. Doesn't really matter though. don't forget to put your car on axles stands and drive it flat out in 5th so the prop shaft doesn't seize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welly Jen Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 After only 500 miles of use this year the windscreen washer fluid will certainly need to be drained and replaced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Common lubricants such as WD-40 do a good job protecting against rust, but did you know that the primary element of WD-40 is fish oil? (It's true.) Much cheaper to go down to your local fishmonger and take away his excess fish oil, then liberally coat all metal surfaces on the car with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Banks Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Apart from the certain MOT failure if you leave Garfield in there... Fit as many fluffy and furry things as possible such as dice, steering wheel cover, seat covers. These will help absorb any moisture over winter. Be sure to regularly check the condition of said furry things for mould and cat / squirrel doings as not attending to this could result a poor start come spring and the inevitable confusion as to whether the smell is coming from you or the car / garage / cat / wife / neighbours. It may be prudent too, whilst hanging to keep all moving parts lubricated as has been previously advised, to add a sheet or tarp, preferably in a light colour below the car in order for you to diagnose any drippings that may happen during storage. Do not however go for a blanket or anything furry as you will end up with more work (and confusion) as noted above. If going for the fish oil as noted by MemSec, then you could store the bits you will have removed in the house as the ambient temp and humidity would be generally more accomodating for plastics. Behind the sofa or in front of the TV / Washing machine are ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Banks Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Oh... and you've got the sump off already? If so, bung it in the dishwasher, leave a couple of weeks and run with the normal daily wash. Pop it in the tumble dryer on a store dry cycle - could even leave it in there if there is no more room in front of TV / Washing machine or behind sofa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 confusion as to whether the smell is coming from you or the car / garage / cat / wife / neighbours. OR YOU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Banks Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 OR YOU! Harsh... But fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Ah rookie mistake there when shaving the bodywork, take 10mm off from the inside, then it doesn't show, simples! Lack of winter use has spoiled many a set of brake pads over the years, they need regular heat cycling; no problem, just pop em out, drop em in the toaster and away you go. By experimentation, I've found "4 1/2" on my toasters dial works best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Green Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Most folk forget about this but don't forget to lubricate your laughing shaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 You forgot the moth balls and vermin traps , its a little known fact that infection by the "polyestermite" can eat your body panels away in weeks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 dont forget to wash out the inside of the header tank with MarkMK's steradent tablets...... before refilling with light distilled water as it's lighter than normal water... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8grunt Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) Get the angle grinder out and buff all that extra glass off the windscreen, you should be able to get it down to 2 Microns without to much trouble, I find heavy gauge Emery paper the best for finishing it off! Don't forget that it may need a slight rub over with Jewellers rouge to get rid of any slight Scratches. Edited October 12, 2012 by V8grunt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welly Jen Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 dont forget to wash out the inside of the header tank with MarkMK's steradent tablets...... before refilling with light distilled water as it's lighter than normal water... No! No! No! You need to use heavy water D2O in the cooling system. The higher density improves heat transfer from the engine to the radiator. The performance improvement easily offsets the extra weight. Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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