Surviving the Winter?

[Forcus]

if there is salt on the road...i do not drive my panther on it. since you have two vehicles maybe you can drive the volvo in the winter time/when salt's on the road and save the grand marq for better driving conditions? just a suggestion.

salt freaks me out haha

I gotta be honest, I have a very clean 01 Dodge Cummins truck, another truck, the Volvo, and was thinking about picking up a small fun shitbox (VW GTI, etc) to daily drive. But I'd really really like to get down to 2 cars, and the GMQ is a must keep. I just don't have the time / energy to maintain 5+ vehicles. If there is no way to keep her from deteriorating I'll just park her in the shop, maybe in one of those "bags" or at least covered so as to keep the dust and dirt off her. That way i really don't have to worry about keeping her clean and maintained if I only take her out of the shop every once in awhile during the summer.

I guess there are worse problems to have... :smirk:

[79lincolnlover]

Drive the Volvo during the winter. Nuff said!

[Forcus]

Drive the Volvo during the winter. Nuff said!

Forgot to mention a couple key details.

The wife and I carpool when possible. This week it is all 5 days, some weeks it is 1-2 days. The Volvo is her car.

We also live 45 minutes from work (53 mile round trip) and work 3 blocks apart. If we drive separate because one of us has to work late, early or late meetings or other appointments.

So it's not like I drive another vehicle every day.

[1987cp]

Yeah, I was gonna say ... not driving your primary car in the snow isn't always an option.

[Piece-it pete]

Sad but true. I've never owned a 'spare' car.

Pete

[johnunit]

as another Canadian, I'll agree with most of the stuff said here. My car is only in the (still not perfect) condition it's in because it was rustproofed every year. Nearly every surface that was unpainted has a covering of thin, sticky oil. it works.

Just keep in mind that your primary goals are to keep bare metal covered and salt off anywhere likely to have uncoated metal.

The biggest thing is probably covering up every bit of rust you already have, whether it be with thick asphalt undercoating, painting, removing it altogether, whatever. If you have rust exposed during winter drivng, it will get worse fast. Eastwood.com has lots of stuff to help you.

Also make sure all body and frame plugs are in place, and all drain holes (on the bottom of the doors, rear fenders, etc.) are completely clear. It may also be a good idea, as strange as it may seem, to pour water down through those drains when you get a day above freezing (I don't know how common that is where you are) to flush out any salt that washes up inside.

[marquisman]

and keep the body clean as much as possible. when the opertunity for a wash comes up, take it. it will pay off in the long run

[GM_Guy]

I gotta be honest, I have a very clean 01 Dodge Cummins truck, another truck, the Volvo, and was thinking about picking up a small fun shitbox (VW GTI, etc) to daily drive. But I'd really really like to get down to 2 cars, and the GMQ is a must keep. I just don't have the time / energy to maintain 5+ vehicles. If there is no way to keep her from deteriorating I'll just park her in the shop, maybe in one of those "bags" or at least covered so as to keep the dust and dirt off her. That way i really don't have to worry about keeping her clean and maintained if I only take her out of the shop every once in awhile during the summer.

I guess there are worse problems to have... :smirk:

I see no problem. GMQ is a keeper, thats established.
Keep the volvo for commuting, since I assume its relatively fuel efficient compared to the rest of the fleet.
AND keep one of the trucks as the occasional go to work vehicle and becuase its convienient when you need to haul junk.

That gets you down to two everyday vehicles, plus the GMQ for fun. =-)
Whats the other truck?

Alex.

[Forcus]

Whats the other truck?

A 1974 International 4x4 in itty bitty pieces.

[pantera77]

Get it oiled underneath asap.

[dugal]

I have had cars oil sprayed for many years because of the salt they put on the roads in winter. Have used old motor oil, but that is frowned upon now as it is a little acidic. Then switched to new transmission oil which was cheap. Have tried Rust Check and Krown, but my fav thing now is called a dripless oil spray. It is a very thick oil that will not drip all over your driveway after the job is done. It also is harder to get washed away from road spray or car washes. It stays there longer than any other spray. Mechnaics curse it when they work under the car BUT it works the best !
Cheers

[marquisman]

but, the dripless oil spray is bad news if its sprayed over existing rust. reason being, the dripless does not inhibit rust. it will accelerate it. a combination is the best. my bros town car was hit with the black tar like dripless stuff when brand new. then was maintained with krown creaping oil. the doors and underside of the car is mint. rust is prolly the hardest thing to fix on a vehicle. i know very few older cars/trucks around here that were rust proofed when new and still look great.