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First Winter for the "70"

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mgbnew

mgbnew

Senior Member
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Ontario can have some pretty nasty winters and then some of them have been not too bad. I plan to do a little work on the 70 in the garage and as well replace the seats. I do intent to run the car monthly as long as there is no snow on the roads.
So my questions are: Is there anything that I should be doing as far as fluids, and other things which could affect the car in the winter months. As I said I plan on running the car a few times a month. Just in the neighborhood streets to keep things running.
I read somewhere that I should place cardboard or some kind of floor covering down because it is not recommended to have the car sitting on concrete for a long period of time. Is there a special type or favorite kind of Anti Freeze for low temperatures? Anything would be helpful. Thanks to all and enjoy the season that you are now entering wherever you may be.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/canpatriot.GIF
 
MGB, I think you should change fluids and make sure your anti-freeze will withstand whatever the ambient temp you have in burlington. Never heard of the card board thing, altho' I keep cardboard under my 70' B to catch any drops. Not that it leaks, right? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
 
Thanks for the info. The cement and cardboard was actually talked about on this forum a while back. Anyway will change the fluids and look into the antifreeze.
Thanks again.
 
This may be stupid and unecessary, but if you haven't done so, switch to synthetic oil. I dorve my 74 in Chicago year round. The first winter I had, the motor wouldn't start b/c the oil was solid a rock. I switched to synth, and it started no problem.
 
mehheh... "cooking oil." GAH.

FWIW:
I ran straight 30W in my B's in western PA winter or summer with no problems. 50/50 antifreeze. Now 20/50 Castrol is all I'll use.

The concrete floor thing is a consideration. instead of cardboard, put down a wood layer: 1"x 6" planks. Then a strategically placed cardboard piece to catch th' fluids.
 
I was using 50 weight oil. The wind chill was 60 below. Yes, it was frozen solid, the starter would not crank.
 
heck yes I planned to drive it. I drove it every day for five years-thats four Chicago winters and still no rust. PO took very good care of it, and it had been very well painted. There was nothing like digging that car out from beneath a huge pile of snow, and starting it right up, pulling out from street parking and driving to my destination with a remaining 5"+ of snow on the hood and roof! Talk about tight suspension! Frozen nearly solid-it was on rails! (LOL). Heat and defrost worked, too, but barely. It was so cold, when I left a light, the temp gauge dropped toward C while I drove until I stopped again at the next light! That car was a champ.
 
I'd say that car wasn't made for such conditions but what car would be! These are indeed tough little cars and other than the lack of decent weather gear I see no reason why it wouldn't do well in sub zero temperatures. You're a true enthusiast to use it as such!
 
I drove a '63 Midget year round for nearly five years here in Michigan. Side curtains aren't really very good at blocking the wind when its -20F.
But, that thing never failed me once. I changed over to Castrol 10W30 for the cold months, and it started every time.
Thankfully, I only had a 6 mile drive to work.
Jeff
 
Hi. I live in northern New Jersey and the last couple of winters it was pretty cold. Last winter it was in the single digits low teens for 3 weeks straight and then not much over that. Anyway, I do pretty much what you are planning (I have a 69b). I do take the battery out though and give it a nice full charge in December and put it in if/when the roads clear up any time during the winter months - that is, dry pavement and little or no road salt. Then I take it for a spin and back into the garage it goes. Over this past summer I finally finished cleaning and undercoating the underbody and fenders which, if you ever get the motivation to do, is a good thing imo. Good Luck. Jim.
 
Drove 2 B's and a Spitfire all year round here, 1.5 hours on the highway to work and back plus to my inlaws in northern ontario a few times every winter,sometimes in the middle of the night, two lane highways, no street lights, no other cars, snow gallore...never got stuck! Now Am afraid to drive it in the rain!

Zack
 
Thank You, I apprreciate the information on the battery.
 
Well here in Austin, Texas, it routinely gets into the high 80's in January. So what I do is take the top down and drive around a lot. You have to wear sun screen though...

Bwah hah hah hah!
 
Texas, is that where "Bush" is from and I think a brother.Thanks but no thanks. I prefere Canada /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/canpatriot.GIF
Bwah, hah, hah,hah,
 
Ouch!

But just for the record, they're both from Connectitcut or Maryland or something. The accent is totally fake.
 
Sorry about that. I Jump Started. Totall out of line.
 
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