Dumb Winterization Questions....

[Rtruck]

Please bare with me...but....now that I am residing full time in a cold winter area, I am finding little things that I'm sure have quick easy fixes. First, my shop is not heated....yet....not sure when I will get to that..first time I ever had to put my beer in the refer to keep it from freezing when the temp dips!

My questions for now involve my electrical cords on grinders/cut off wheels/drill motors etc. The cold gives the cords a "memory" so they are stiff and don't hang straight. Same with air hoses. Do I store differently now? Also, I have rattle can and quart cans of paint out there. Rather than just move to a "warmer" spot....can I get by using my retired "customized" drip coffee hot plate (on a rheostat) to slowly warm the contents?

84 Dave....haven't checked with you or Mary (good Rose info) 'cause I know you guys will probably laugh your tails off, I know Vegas gets cold during the winter....but El Cajon not.

[84Dave]

Mary can answer all of your plant questions. LOL! E-mail...... msecord@msn.com . I no longer live in Vegas. Now a resident of Ohio. The 80x15 mobile home where I now reside..... I purchased (2) of the Quartz/Infra-Red(IR) portable heaters, instead of using the normal heat-pump for heating. Keep the place @ 72-74 degrees. As best I can tell, at this point, the electric-bill was reduced 57% for the month of Nov. , compared to the same month last year. The IR heat is much more efficient than the standard 'coil' heaters.... or the heat-pump. Heat your shop with a single 1500-watt IR unit, & the electric cords will take care of themselves. Race engine storage over the winter? The majority of us are guilty of a bad habit. Leaving the valve-train intact from the last race of the season. Believe it or not, leave a valve-spring compressed over the winter & it'll lose some tension. Bottom line? Whether SOHC/DOHC or pushrod, remove the rockers/followers over the winter. Let the springs relax with only on-seat pressure. Or remove completely. But before you 'relax' the valve-train, remove the spark plugs, hand-spin the engine through 720-degrees, stopping every 90-degrees to spray WD-40 through the pluge holes. That will save the valves, seats & cylinder walls. Now you're ready to crack the cap on the egg-nog & enjoy the Holiday seasons & associated winter months. -Dave-

[Milford Motorsports]

I'm with dave,get some heat in shop if you can afford it.If everything is allowed to cool too much,when the weather decides to warm up suddenly you will get condensation on every thing then RUST,tools ,parts ,etc.Once paint freezes it is pretty much junk,some spray cans will still spray most will not.

[boportt]

YEP sure is a dumb quest.

[74MiniNeon]

And probably the biggest thing...

Make absolutely sure that you drain your radiator and block if the temp gets under 32. You will get a crack in your block otherwise. Most racers don't have antifreeze in their cars, and the water will freeze without it. Just pull the pet(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) out of the radiator, and I like to pull a threaded plug from the block.

Obvious, but expensive if forgotten,
Scott