The 95 is officially hibernating. I can only drive it from April 1-Oct 31 (seasonal registration, so I don't have to get it IM'ed). Last night I -changed the oil, -put it in it's garage-tent beside the house, -checked anti-freeze and plugged in the block heater, -removed battery -added Sta-Bil -put the car cover on, and tucked it in nice and tight. I'll pull it out mid-March to get it ready for it's April 1 debut (assuming the snow's gone!). Unless Santa brings me some subframes!
If you keep them out of the wind, and keep the snow from building up on the roof, they work fine. Mine sits right next to my 2-story garage wall, with a 5 foot retaining wall across the back, my snowmachine trailer opposite the garage wall, and the entrance is set back about 10 feet from the front of the house, so it gets NO wind. When I see a foot of snow built up on the roof, I go inside with a push broom, and lift the roof up til the snow slides off. Works great! One of these days I'd like to build a carport roof off the side of the house (ok, the plans are really for an unheated garage, but it's easier to convince the wife that it's just a little carport roof), but that's a few years down the road.
Two more days and my 95 will be in my shop for the winter. Over the winter projects - T5 swap, 03 cobra rack, 3.73s, rear cobra brakes and a few other odds and ends. First time Ive had a garage for my car . Even better thats its heated and has a 60 gallon compressor. Need to buy a new camera though.
I know what you mean! I've finally got my dream garage--1000 sq ft, heated, compressor (haven't done the air plumbing yet, but working on it), big enough for the wife's car, my Excursion, my 67, and still have room to pull the 3 snowmachines in to thaw them out after a ride! Too bad I now have 2 stangs that need parking! That's why the 95 lives outside during the winter. Maybe that's the justification I need for a garage lift!
Mines only 800 square feet and mostly occupied now by my stang and my friends 300zx but I still have adequate space to keep performing repairs on customers cars. Man what I could do with another 200 squares... cant complain though, this garage / business has been my dream for ten years. Sucks I only have time for it on the two days off from my real job.
Gotta be pretty cool to make money at wrenching. If I had to depend on it to put food on my table and a roof over my head, I'd be living on the corner pushing my toolbox around... I'm too slow and too murphy-like to make any money at this! But it's a good hobby (most of the time). Gotta be cool to be able to make money doing what you love to do anyway! Just watch the "business side" so it doesn't make you hate your hobby--I know too many guys who have wound up in that boat. I know what you mean about the dream--only took me 20 years and retiring from the Army to get here (once I knew they wouldn't move me any more). It was worth the wait!
Yeah I did the dealership thing for 7 years and after long days of messing with other peoples cars, I never had time or motivation to work on my own. After they closed down I put my tools in storage for a while but theres high demand for good work at a fair price so it wasnt long before I was making house calls. Then the garage came around. Started out just renting the shop and living 15 miles away. But two weeks ago the two bedroom house on the same property became available so now I have a house and garage for the same price I was paying for my previous place. Cant complain.
So its official, my cars up for the winter as well. Got the "new" probe on the road. Has a 5 speed, makes me anxious to get the T5 in the stang.
Sorry, I just don't get it. My car is a 3rd car and never driven because I hate driving it. But when it finally gets tuned, I will drive it ANY day so long as no snow or rain. Cars were meant to drive, not preserve. Especially as you get older every year. I want to wear the car out b4 I do.
Two reasons I don't drive it every day-- 1) Seasonal registration=no I/M, but I can't drive it Nov 1-March 31. 2) Does my location not show up in my post? How about reason #1. We get some of that here in Alaska...
I was going to say Husky is in Alaska not year round mustang much less gt vert friendly. Took mine out last weekend...found out my posi is out. One wheel wonder so that is my winter project and the car is probably not going to be coming out much either anymore this year.
You'd be surprised at how many people do drive their Mustangs year round though. I see one or two a day. If I was guaranteed that I wouldn't have to worry about the other drivers running into me, I might consider it. Of course, those other mustangs have studded tires on--My Nitto 555s got me stuck in my flat driveway last spring when I was taking it out of storage. I'll use the Excursion for the winter DD. And when I want my winter adrenaline rush, I look to my sled:
Ive owned 7 mustangs. The two before this were driven year round out of necessity. Both were rotted out and not worth putting money into at the end. My current one has no rot and I intend to keep it that way. Road salt around here is vicious. Not to mention I have Cobra front brakes and soon rears and 18 inch wheels. Stock wheels wont fit anymore and I dont think they make a 265 35 18 snow tireBesides why bother using a car not suited for snow when I have AWD in my suv? Its rather fun to go driving around in six / eight / ten inches of snow before the plows ruin it. Just as fun as the mustang is in the summer.
Looks like fun Husky44. Hope to get up to that neck of the world someday. My mom has some cousins that live in Juno or Anchorage AK that have left an open invite as they just don't get much family up there.
Absolutely the most fun you can have with an internal combustion engine, IMHO. Don't come visit, unless you're ready to move. I grew up in MO, planned on retiring there when I left the Army. The Army sent me here in 1996, and this is HOME. Arguably the most incredible place on earth. Only took me two weeks to decide this was where I wanted to grow old and die!
I have the wife now willing (after a few trips) to move to CO if I can get a job offer good enough to justify leaving mine and move there. We have done some of those snowmobile tours to the continental divide and they were a blast more fun than dirt bikes/quads. I absolutely HATE MO weather, AK I imagine would be an awesome place to retire/die.
I didn't realize that salt hurt these cars so much.. er.. uh.. well, If you keep it dry and drive thru dried salt on the roads does it hurt it?
My issue with that was that even when it was a few days old and I drove around they lay it on so thick around here it builds up in the wheel wells and on the pipes. You literally have to go to the carwash every other day to keep on top of it. Its the spray salt stuff theyve been using lately thats the worst.
