Balancing driving enjoyment and car preservation.

This MAY be better suited in the cosmetic section...if so, moderators feel free to move.

I will soon be pulling the trigger on a Maverick in great shape with no rust. I live in southern Wisconsin... a place that can traditionally be bad news in regards to rust (probably mostly due to winter road salt).

I'm not the type of person that will buy a car and let it sit...enjoying it's restored perfection from a far. If I buy a car, it is because I want to DRIVE it.

I certainly won't make the Mav my daily driver...and it will be put to bed on the garage during the winter. But I fully expect to drive it a LOT during the spring/summer/fall.

I'm just curious how you guys (especially those up north) balance driving and preservation. Including cleaning frequency, waxes, etc that you use while enjoying you Mav on the road to keep it from deteriorating badly.

 

My Mustang has been driven more than 35,000 miles since 1986. I bought the car in 1991.

Every few years I clean up the engine compartment and repaint what is necessary. I do the same thing for the underside and rear axle. I have touched up paint chips and wet sanded them so they don't show.

It's now time to repaint my dash and inner doors.

If you drive them they will wear. I can't imagine not driving my car.

 

Congrats on getting a Mav! I drive mine as much as I can,But not as a daily driver.I try not to get caught in the rain...but it happens.Before winter storage,it gets washed/stripped of the old wax.Then it goes on a lift,and chips or scatches are taken care of,everything gets greased,tie rods,ball joints,u-joints,all hinges,ect.Off the lift,fresh sealer,wax applied.Inside everything get's cleaned/vacumed.Stay away from armour-all poducts!!It will eat Your dash pad!I use all Meguires products.Stabul added to the gas tank,then in the garage up on 4 jack stands,good coating on the tires,then a cover for it's nap.During the winter,I start mine once a week and let it idle for about 10 minutes,to keep everything fresh.Springtime,I give everything a good "look over",all hoses,brake lines/hoses,ect.Fresh oil,ect. as needed.Mine don't hit the road til the spring rain's have washed the salt away..then it's cruising time again!Good luck with your mav,and drive it as much as You can and enjoy!

 

I keep my cars in the garage during Winter. I think that is smart. I think it's ok to take them for a ride on a dry day as long as there isn't a lot of salt on the roads. When the season starts, I will not take the cars out when I know the weather is bad or will be bad. If I am out at a show or another event and it rains, I clean it up when I get home. What can you do, it happends. Just keep the car clean, waxed and it will clean up nice. Sometimes if I go to a major event and the weather is a concern I will bring my car cover. Rain is one thing, hail is another! When driving long distance, stay away from traffic and large semi truck to avoid stone chips also pickups with large tires! I sometimes put clear plastic on the bumper, edge of hood, lower splash pan on older Mavericks to collect the bugs. When you get to where your going, remove the plastic for a clean finish with no bugs!! Do not cover your grill or any other air intake area. I keep a roll of plastic rap and some tape in my trunk. Most people will look at you weird but end up loving the idea!

 

wow thats an awesome idea i will definetly remember that one

 

For me, my green 73 Grabber, only gets driven on the nicest of nice days, and the other 362 days of the year it sits in it's climate controlled garage (I'm in the HVAC business, so that should be a given)on a nice piece of carpet, covered.. Now it's not to be said that this car has never been in the rain, while on the open trailer going to the Round-up on 2 occasions, it did did wet in the rain..but never driven in the rain. I have too much time and money invested in this car to just ruin it in the first years, after it's restoration. Maybe in a few more years I will change my mind and drive it some more...But I did the things to this car, that I grew up dreaming about, some people hate it, some people love it, it is my car, and I could care less what anyone thinks...
This brings me to my latest project..my 2nd 73 Grabber, which will be my driver, and probably a very nice driver, but I really want to drive one (and hang around with pprince...) I have taken a vow, not to spend as much on this car, as I did on the green one....finally we have to include my 74 Grabber..this one will be better than my green 73, and that's a whole other story..
I actually enjoy building the cars more than driving them, I have other vehicles with all the comforts of home, so if I'm going any distance, I doubt it would be in a Maverick, atleast if my wife was coming with me

 

Dave, you're like my dad. He builds/restores old MOPARs and is a perfectionist. He enjoys the process, but those cars NEVER get driven. MAYBE a couple of times a year (just down the road and back, if that).

I'm simply not that way. If I'm not going to drive it, then I don't want to own it.

 

Thats how my dad is he wont dare get his truck out more then 2-3 times a year

 

My Comet is the only vehicle I drive. If I go anywhere it is in the Comet. 30 miles everyday for work at the least. Rain or shine it's all I have.

Had...it needs a radiator now so I am bumming rides until I get one somehow. I had to drive the wifes 83 F150 today which sucked.

 

My maverick is a all weather interceptor. It wipes off good. I dont up North though.

 

My '72 goes anywhere, anytime, rain, snow or shine. I'd be willing to bet money my Maverick's been driven more then any other Maverick in the country in the last 4 years. The body on this car wouldn't be the best for restoration, it's been hit hard in the rear years and years ago and has a lot of hidden problems. I knew this when I bought it, preservation wasn't my goal, my personal enjoyment (driving the car) was. If it were to get wrecked tomorrow, it wouldn't be a loss because it's just a crappy bondo bucket.

My '74 Grabber is finally coming back together again, and I'll have pretty decent money in it by time I get it how I want it. It'll never be a daily driver again, but I can't see myself having any inhibitions about driving it almost anywhere. Cars are made to be driven, why bother if you're not going to drive it.

 

Don't use food grade plastic wrap, it's much too thin.

Go to a home improvement store and get the self adhesive clear carpet protector for when you're painting. It's nice and thick so the small rocks and pieces of gravel that are thrown up from the road won't rip it. It'll also absorb some of the shock of the hit, lessening the chance of a paint chip. Usually the rolls are about 2 foot wide, so you should have enough to protect the bumper and valence in one shot.

Fair warning though, if you have bad paint it might pull it up!

I use the carpet protector plastic when I'm towing and when I have a leaking / broken window. It works real well and doesn't leave adhesive on the paint like some tapes do.

Now on to the original question.

I drive my vehicles on a regular basis. What I do when I'm not going to be driving a vehicle for a longer period of time is as follows:

1.) Grease EVERYTHING that has a fitting, all wear points, hinges, and linkages (including the throttle cable).
2.) Fill the gas tank and add a fuel stabilizer to the tank. (I use Stabil)
3.) Disconnect the negative battery cable to prevent battery discharge.
4.) Put a medium sized mesh bag with mothballs under the seats, hood, and trunk to try and prevent bug and rodent issues.
5.) If it's going to be an extremely extended time and I like the tires, I'll put the suspension up on blocks so the tires aren't sitting on the ground.

This one is optional!
​

6.) Back off the shoes on the drum brakes (if equipped) to prevent the shoes from rusting to the drums. PUT A NOTE ON THE STEERING WHEEL OR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO REMIND YOU THAT IT WAS DONE! Trust me, getting into a car with weak to no brakes isn't fun when you go to move it!

That's about it for my process of storing a car.

I hope this helps,
-Scott H.

 

I like to drive mine.I try not to drive em in the rain...Wet feet ruin floors as well as a leaky cowl will.I washed my Sprint twice this summer (its been caught in several rain storms and driven in two of em)Wipe it down and use a quick detail product and it will always look good.As for storage: I park mine in the garage on a thick plastic tarp to keep the moisture from creeping up from the concrete onto the car. I over inflate and cover my tires with black plastic garbage bags.Full tank of gas with a bottle of sta-bil.Plastic bag over the carb after closing the choke(sandwiched between air cleaner lid and carb).Plastic bag over the master cyl sandwiched between the lid and the MC to keep the brake fluid from sucking moisture out of the air.Battery goes into the warm utility room in the house for storage.Car is allways cleaned inside and out(wiped down and vacuumed) before doing this as well as greased and lubed to high heavan.Spray pledge on the chrome bumpers and door handels,close the garage door and forget about the car till spring dries out.

 

Man I'm glad I live where I do! We usually get 6-8 inches of presip per year, not much snow to speak of and when it comes they just use sand on the roads along with some de-icer (intersections, bridges and overpasses). I can usually rid ethe bike a fair amount during the winter months and once the Mav is rolling I'll drive it year round too.

 

...these are cars we are talking about...


what do you do with your...$30K...daily driver...

my take on this...
...if your car is...roadworthy...and you don't drive it (reg.) "Car Parts"...
sell them (car parts) to someone that will turn them back into a...car...

JMO