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Attention Toronto Tim, Lord Flashart.


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Hi Guys

I am thinking about bringing my TR3A to B.C. Canada but require to know what you have to do when the car is laid up for winter. Do you have your cars in heated garages? or what other preparations do you have to make? possibly put them up on axle stands to clear tyres off the cold concrete or steel floors.

Thanks

Dave

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I don't know how closely our climate in New Hampshire compares with BC but if there are any old cars here  without rust, they almost surely came from somewhere else. I kept my TR3 stored in an unheated garage here in New Hampshire for 30 years. Although it did show some rust beginning when it was first put into storage, it continued to rust badly over that next 30 years. The garage had a concrete floor and and was dry but not insulated nor even air tight. Bare sheet metal scraps in the same garage were covered with surface rust the first winter. Certainly well painted surfaces would fare much better and since my car already had some rust started it might not have fared better in more climate controlled storage.

I now keep my cars in a well insulated garage which has heat but that is turned off when I'm away for long periods in the winter. I'm guessing that the insulation keeps the temperature swings to a minimum along with the associated moisture and condensation. I don't lift the tires, use battery maintainers or do anything else for storage.

The only problem  I've had so far (fourth winter) was when I inadvertently  left a garage window open for several days in the very early spring in with nighttime temperatures well below freezing and got a nasty mold on the seats of my old Buick, which was right under the window..

I do run a de-humidifier in the summer. My supply of sheet metal (which serves as my canary) stays bright.

For what it's worth, I recently visited an climate controlled auto storage facility nearby and it was pretty well packed with cars literally inches apart.

Tom

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Dave,

it matters whereabout in beautiful BC.

Vancouver area has a mild climate, similar to here, but inlands is very cold.

I have a friend in Smithers, northern BC, he has a well insulated garage, it can get very cold in some area’s.

Don’t know what effect the low humidity has in severe winter conditions.

Waldi

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You might want to make contact with these guys and ask them what they do.

http://www.bctriumphregistry.com/

I lived in the Lower Mainland for 6 years and just put the car in the garage. Garage was dry but not insulated. I did not notice any significant issues. It has been 20 years since I lived there and thoughts may have changed.

Simon

 

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Hi Dave,

I'm afraid that I'm a terrible person to ask because, even though the weather here in Toronto can get seriously cold (and pretty snowy) I don't have a garage and basically leave the car in the elements all Winter.  I used to cover it, but found that moisture got in under the cover and I'm not sure, therefore, that the cover is adding any value.  I might cover it again this Winter, just to see...

So...  I think the advice above is probably pretty sound - especially with regards to it being dependent on where in BC you are going to be.  Vancouver/Victoria or similar is basically (to my Toronto eye) like being in the UK so, theoretically, you could even use the TR all Winter unless a bit of snow comes.  Even then, park it up in a nice dry garage until the snow and salt goes away and I would think all is ok.  Obviously if you're going to leave it for a really long period, thinking about lifting the wheels up to go easy on the tires (tyres) is a good thing.

We have Forumites from Salmon Arm (potentially v cold), Vancouver Island (less cold, more UK-ish, watch out for ocean salt) and expert locals like the BC Registry noted above and Drakes British Motors, a company in Kelowna, who will no-doubt be willing and able to provide better advice than I can.

I'll tell you this - having rallied all the way up BC from the USA border up to Yukon and on into Alaska in my TR4 plus extensively in the mountains and forests around Merritt and the Rockies in an original Quattro, there are few better places to drive a TR.  Bring it, and plan some LONG road-trips in the most beautiful country in the world (I may be biased) - you will never regret it.

Hope that helps,

Tim

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I'm further south, but condensation is an issue here too, in garages without heat - especially for those with concourse cars whose plated parts in the engine bay, etc. are susceptible to corrosion therefrom.

What I find works very well is to place a Stanley electric heater/blower a couple of inches away from the lower valance, set on low setting and tuck it under the front of the car cover. This will not only keep it dry but prepares it for an outing when the salt/wet are on vacation by keeping the engine at room temperature. These will run continuously for days and weeks from late November until about April. My TRs never hibernate as such, but discriminate against wet/salt admittedly. The longest they've gone without exercise is ~ a month.

Tom

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Hi Dave,

My shop is heated and insulated. Depends where you wanna go in BC ( why would you wanna go to BC, most people there don't like old cars). Here , and I'm 50 km from the BC border, we get to around -35 C to -40 C  in winter for a month or two but it is very dry, even the snow isn't wet. So as long as you stay away from the coast, you can just park it in any shop, heated or not.

My shop is 72 by 32 but totally filled cars and other good car stuff, if not you could have parked it here.

Yves

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I met the BC TR Register guys in June at the All British Day in Vancouver.  A very nice group who seemed happy to chat to an Aussie TR tourist. They very kindly sent me some mementoes, which they posted to my home address as they had no spares on the day. Their cars were in good condition, no rust buckets and very well presented. They seemed to get used a fair bit. 

We did see a TR6 outside in the street with a For Sale sign on it. It was quite rusty, surface and deep.

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Hi Guys

Thanks a lot for your replies, I didn´t expect so many, only names I could think of, sorry I forgot about you Yves and Graeme.

Well we are going to VERNON a town 400kms. inland from Vancouver, where it does snow, I´ve seen it, but what beautiful countryside, would love to drive it in my 3A but it is all a matter of cost getting it there, and where to keep it, especially if it has to be in heated covered place.

Tom! I was interested in your heater idea, does it cost much to run it?

I know of Drakes Motors, as a matter of fact  a have messaged Scott on a couple of times from here, but have been to their house/shop in Kelowna ( some 30 kms away.)

Simon, I will definitely get onto  the bc triumph registry, it will be very advantageous to know other owners and maybe join a club if they are in my area.

All for now, answers will be appreciated

Dave

 

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Hi Dave, 

Are you moving to Vermin?

I keep my cars in a garage all winter, and it’s only heated when I’m in there tinkering. It’s fairly dry here in the winter so you don’t have to worry about rust etc.  I don’t do much else as if we get a clear sunny day and the snow it ploughed off the roads, I take the car for a spin! 
In the 12 years I’ve lived here I’ve just parked the cars with a full tank of premium petrol and just started then up in the spring.  

52A05F4F-0626-441A-BA3C-E08DE4520931.jpeg

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Not in your area, but here in S W France, I keep my TR3a in a carcoon over the winter period and also have a de-humidifier running (set at 55% humidity) in the garage. It keeps the car in pristine condition and the de-humidifier also protects all my tools and everything else in the garage.

The biggest problem when storing our vehicles, is humidity!

 

DSCF2913 (2).JPG

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