Maintenance
Owning a classic car is a never ending story of maintenance and repair work. You have to fight corrosion, tired suspensions, leaking rubber seals and soft-tops etc.
And even though most classic cars are not in daily use you also have to with signs of wear out on engines, piston rings and other parts.
If you happen to drive your car even in winter, you should wash it regularly because of the salt on the streets. Otherwise the salt will be responsible for even more corrosion. But make sure it can dry properly.
The electric wiring also is something you should always keep an eye on, as damages can be a potential fire hazard, especially behind the instrument panel where a lot of wiring can be found. You should check this area regularly and repair things as soon as possible.
Before you start driving your car again in spring, you should really check everything properly and make sure your car is in a perfect condition and safe. And never forget if there wasn’t the maintenance on your car, it wouldn’t be that much fun.
Classic Cars in Winter
Many owners of classic cars won’t use their cars in winter. To prepare a car as best as possible, for the long time in the garage, therefore is very important.
First you should clean the interior of the car properly. While doing so you should also look out for wet spots in the car, because leaky seals might be the reason. Leave one of the windows open a little bit so that the air can circulate.
After having washed the outside of the car you should look out for remains of insects or bird droppings, as they might do harm to the paint during winter. Any damages of the paint should be repainted, not to give rust a chance. Owners of convertibles should take extra care of the roof and look out for damages.
You should change old engine oil of your classic car, check if there is enough antifreeze-agent in the cooling water and fill the tank with petrol. Tanks that aren’t filled completely corrode more easily.
As batteries don’t get any better when not being recharged, you should make sure to keep the conservation charging during winter.
If it is possible to jack up your classic car during winter you should do so, because it reduces the pressure on tyres and wheel suspensions. If you can’t do so you should at least raise the tyre pressure.
Don’t put on the hand brake but use a wedge to block the wheels.
Leaving the car outside all winter of course isn’t a good idea. An air-conditioned garage with a temperature of about 15° C and a humidity of about 40 % would be ideal, but as most people can’t afford one, the normal garage must do. You should make sure it is dry and the air can circulate. You can also use ventilators or any sort of air humidifiers. To protect the classic car from dust you shouldn’t use plastic but fabric to cover it. Bed sheets do a good job here, but don’t use your wife’s new ones except you want her to get mad at you.
