andrew911

Well, I drove the car for what will most likely be the last time of the season today. Took her for a nice drive, put some gas stabilizer in and topped up the tank, threw a few extra PSI in the tires and plugged in the battery maintainer. I hate this time of the year. In the next couple of weeks I have a 4-post lift being installed so I can get her up and out of the way, and fit my car daily underneath! I'm excited for the lift, but I really really hate this time of year when all I get to do is look at it and wait But then that first day of spring when the salt is washed away is soooo good!

Here's a pic from the other week...

MARC A. 964 C4

andrew911,.."Sleep well,.. Spring will soon be here",..

thedyingiraffe

Is that a special fabrick underneath your car?

andrew911

Yes- it's a "Park Smart" mat- it's kind of like a thin rubbery mat that oil and other spills will wipe up easliy from. I bought it back when I lived in a townhouse that had all-weather carpeting in the garage since the prior owner kept their dog in the garage (it stayed warm in that garage)- at the time I had a '90 corvette which was pretty low and I wanted a barrier from the catalytic converter heat- plus that car would drip oil every now and then, so it was easier to just wipe up than if the oil hit the carpet. I really don't need it now because the 964 has never dripped a drop, but I already have the mat so I just used it when we moved to the new house. I have my undertray on the motor so maybe that's why I've never seen a drop of oil

By the way, between the initial post last night and right now, we actually got an inch or two of snow! Ugh!
-Andrew

last toy

It's a good idea to store you your car over carpet or better yet, viscoune plastic and then carpet if the garage has a cement floor that is not tiled. Moisture dissipates readily from cement and could will cause rusting especially with steel lfuel and braje lines. More moisture emits from cement than dirt, that's why classic cars stored in barns for 20 years are in excellent shape.

andrew911

Humm, intersting if true. Seems to make sense...

DarrylH

If your garage is heated, it doesn't matter so much. But I put down a polyethylene sheet double thick, then my old dining room carpet, with an extra carpet layer under the tires. So far, so good.

Oh, and if anybody tries this - poly sheeting is slick, as in slippery. Be v v careful walking around the car if there's any exposed sheeting. This "park smart" is sure to be better, but I haven't found a local source.

Syd B.

I store my cab with my mechanic who has a heated, indoor facility for about 40 cars. Over the winter, he is doing a top down engine rebuild. I dropped by on Friday to check progress and my car was on the hoist, with the engine and transmission resting on the shop floor below. It was like visiting family in the hospital. It will be a long wait to spring to check out the major overhaul.

andrew911

This "park smart" is sure to be better, but I haven't found a local source.[/QUOTE]

I bought the mat from one of the porsche parts catalogs (don't remember which now- I think it was that company that has seperate catalogs for VW, Corvette and Porsche- I'll find it when I get home).

My garage isn't heated, but like I said I've never had a problem keeping the car weekend car in the garage the whole winter for the past 15+ years. Well, no problem with the car that is, I have a problem looking at it and wanting to go for a spin

Marc Shaw

Performance Products have ParkSmart here (a Rennlist sponsor).

Marc

pete000

Think of the good news, no more milage on the clock for a while.

When I lived back in Michigan I only put on around 1200 miles a year on my Porsche and I drove it every single nice day of the year!

DarrylH

Thanks Marc, but I think the Park Smart thingy I'd be interested in is more like this one: http://www.autobarn.net/pasmclpagama.html which protects the entire underside of the car from the condensation problems. Then shipping starts to be an issue, haven't found anybody who wants to ship to Canada and, as I say, haven't found one here in Toronto yet. Still planning someday to do the coin top flooring...so my poly painter's sheet from Canadian Tire is a temporary, poor substitute.

andrew911

DarrylH has the correct mat that I bought. I believe Performance Products is the company I bought it from, but they only have those small tire things to assist with how far you pull in on the website in the link Marc sent. "Park Smart" is the name of the Company I believe, not the acutal product. The product is the "Park Smart Clean Park" mat, as you can see from DarrylH's post.

last toy

Darryl, I believe you can have US items shipped UPS to the their Buffalo UPS center and pick them up in person. Not sure if they will do that there, but I did arrange for a package pick up from a UPS Brown Store in Wisconsin when I was on a consulting job and living in a hotel. You could try Mantis Racing in Oakville, they can get anything from anywhere and are great to deal with. They build, fix and race them. Ask for Ernie. No association, but have helped me a lot. Their prices are very competitive.

DarrylH

I know of Mantis, met Ernie through the local PCA meetings, worth a try. Thanks for the suggestions.