Forced me to park my car in the grass outside this winter... or at least until I find meself a new engine.... but to add insult to injury they blasted it with the snowblower right where there ain't any window seals!

 

I feel your pain!

 

Ouch!!
Hope there weren't any rocks on the driveway. Gotta say though, cause I'm one of the "parents" now, I'd make you park on the grass too. Don't need a car thats broken pluggin up valuable storage space. I'd want my car in the garage cause I've weathered more cold winters, frozen batteries, and snow buried cars than I ever thought.

Go out and throw a tarp over the car to protect it in the meantime, that's a reasonable thing to do until you can get working on it. Sorry man, I'm not trying to be nasty, I just know what it's like from both sides now that I'm older and have gone through this already.

 

Be glad they didn't make you junk it......yet.

I pissed my old man off plenty of times with all the junk I dragged home as a teenager.

Me: "Duhhhhh this is gonna be my race car." "and this one is gonna be my summer cruising convertible" "this one is going to be my demo derby car" "this one isn't mine, i'm doing a motor swap on it for my buddy" "and this 5th one is for parts"

Now that I think about how sh1tty those cars were, and how little money I had, I'm surprised he didn't choke the life out of me.

He had a secret liking and soft spot for cars, and I exploited it until the envelope fell off the table. Your parent's may not have that soft spot, or that patience.

 

Just remember what goes around comes around. I had cars all over the place. My parents were always on me about them, then I had three sons and learned the other side of the story. From your earlier posts it sounds like you dad supports you. Just remember that part. A lot of dad's don't.

Time is a great equalizer, just ask any old phart

 

x2 on covering it up. A tarp for now then you can run bungie cords under the car to keep it from blowing off.

 

Make sure the tarp doesn't flap in the wind. It will scar the paint over time

 

Sounds like there are a lot of us old-timers that had beaters that took up space in the driveway in our youth...I was no different. One in the driveway and one or two in the street (I was not lucky enough to get the garage). The neighbors always made comments like, "you should open a used car lot".

I do know one thing, citcapp is right...be lucky your dad lets you keep the car there at all. Maybe your parents are teaching you tough love...maybe you will dig deep inside for the motivation to fix the car in the 25 degree, wind-in-your-face Wisconsin weather. Don't wait until Spring to get things done. Shop around now for the new engine in the Winter...disconnect and remove what you can now so that it will be a quicker swap in the Spring. Show your parents that you really care about this car and respect and understand their decision...and maybe you will get the respect and garage next year.

 

I know growing up I always had more than one car. It's kinda funny four people in house six cars in the drive way three cars where mine. Daily driver, drag car, and parts car.

 

Duct tape the window seal openings up.

You guys got all this backwards and you're ignoring the obvious.

I'm switching on parent mode...click

If you were my kid and and nothing's wrong with you physically to prevent it you would be clearing the driveway, what is this???

If I had to do it and it was your job I would go out of my way to pelt the car with gravel and would open all the windows and fill it to the roof with snow, trunk and engine compartments would be filled too.

You would darn well make sure do it before I got out there the next time it needs clearing young man, and every time after that too!!

If you don't want your car messed up blow the stinkin' driveway off yourself!!!!

If your old enough for a car your old enough to run a snowblower!!!

Lucky you got food to eat and a place to live let alone a car!!

When I was your age...

 

"Elderly people and those in authority cannot always be relied upon to take enlightened and comprehending views of what they call the indiscretions of youth."
-- Winston Churchill



Which one are you!?

Krichen, I would suggest at least covering the car while it's in outdoor storage- if for no other reason than to keep the zoning nanny police off your case for an unlicensed vehicle. If there are no window seals, use something to cover those openings, but I would NOT use duct tape. After it gets old and dries out from being exposed to weather it is a true pain in the *** to remove.

Put a regular car cover from WalMart or an auto parts chain store on the car and make sure it's secured. Then get a big heavy duty plastic tarp (cheap at Northern Tool, Harbor Freight etc)to go over that and make it reasonably weatherproof. Use bungees to secure it to the underside of the car, then fold it around the corners of the car and use duct tape on that to secure it and keep it from flapping.

And do not get discouraged or give up hope on this Diesel. I'm probably one of the few Oldsmobile guys around who gives the Diesel props for what it really was- another Oldsmobile FIRST.

If the General hadn't saddled them with so many constraints and had advertised the maintenance schedule properly, I think more of them would have survived. Like the earlier turbocharged Jetfire, it was an idea ahead of its time and the people who bought them were ill-informed about what to do with their "unfamiliar technology" automobile.

 

Many years ago, I had to park my Olds in my parents' yard for a time. I put a tarp on it and it did fine. Of course, it didn't have pristine paint or anything like that.

 

You could get your own place so those pesky parents couldnt tell you what to do.....

 

Winter actually isn't that bad for a car, the air is fairly dry. My moisture absorbers barely absorb water during my Cutlass's winter storage in an unheated garage. Spring and early summer is when those moisture absorbers start sopping up the water. Just be sure to uncover it once in a while and leave some openings at either end for air to circulate beneath the car.

 

I have to keep my cutlass outside. I have several cars, and the only one in the garage is the one that has been in there since 1972
As for covering during winter... what do you all think about just using a regular outdoor cover? I was under the impression that it can freeze to the car -already happened- and then you can't get into the car until it thaws out because removing a cover frozen to the paint can damage it. (I don't drive it in the snow, but I need to be able to get into it at least)
Thanks.

Krichen. I also agree, if you want it done right, you do it. Don't want the car destroyed? You clear the driveway. I'm lucky enough to have an understanding father, and a mom and aunt who are forced to understand by him. Sometimes I push the envelope too, but in the end if you really want it and will actually do something with it, I'd hope your parents wouldn't hold you back.
If you don't plan on touching it until the spring anyway, get a cover and 2 tarps. Put one under the car and wrap the car with the other one. Occasionally go out there and vent the car (once every week or so) or use some BIG dessicant bags to prevent moisture build up.
Due to my lack of garage and money/space to build another one I'm hoping to get a tent garage one of these days. Pretty simple and should be "unzonable". I'm going to lay gravel, then a tarp, then a wood floor, secure the buiding to the floor and then reinforce the tube structure in an attempt to make something that will last and actually keep the car safe.

 

My dad used to use bales of straw packed around the inside of the unheated garage as his moisture absorbers. Worked pretty good.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. The paint job is fairly good but I am planning on scuff sanding it to get ALL the rust gone and then putting on paint the right way so there aint any runs.

Ahem. I WANTED to clear the drive, but my father is insane and went out at 4 in the morning to do it himself. So its not like I was lazy

As for taking the engine out, I have neither the tools nor the know-how to do that... and I'll have to drive it yet to wherever the new engine is going to be. (it is broken...but still drivable. Don't know how with all its problems)

I was thinking about putting a tarp over it then laying plywood all around the car to prevent snow from getting under it.

And where can I get these moisture absorbers. I am guessing not walmart...

 

Wolfie, nice sigpic!!
Q: wouldn't putting straw bales around inside the garage be like putting cheese out for mice? They love to live in bales too. And the car would only be a short "field trip" to a playground?? You have a mouser or 2 in the garage right?

There's a house out by Sherwood Park that's built mostly out of hay bales because they're so thermally efficient, so I buy the part about the insulation and mositure absorbing. You need tight bales though. I've picked some that felt like they were about 30 lbs too light and made up of mostly air. Not sure if something was wrong with the baler or not.

 

put 2x10 planks under the tires...

park it over any weed patch ...

 

You can buy your dessicant bags from The Filter Store using the following link:

http://www.filterstore.com/sta_dri.asp

 

I stored a 71 caddy outside during the winters. I used a soft cotton cover then covered it with a blue plastic tarp. I would sweep the snow off after each storm. On sunny weekends I would remove the plastic tarp for the day. My 70 Cutlass is what resides inside almost all the time. Today I put stabilizer in the tank. I also keep a cotton cover over it to keep the dust off. I doubt it will be out again untill spring. I last ran it a week and a half ago.

 

At the age of 15,my dad was an uncool square...at 25, he had learned a few things...at 35 he had some real helpful insights on life,raising kids,and making a marriage work...at 45,I was amazed at how far he'd come along in understanding the real world...and at 52.5 , he's a freakin' genius!!

 

The Circle of life repeats itself......I think everyone knows exactly how right your comment is. The only thing I would suggest? What you write, you should actually tell your Dad. My Dad passed away 36 years ago and there's so much I would love to be able to tell him, like how I appreciated all he did for me. Cherish ALL the moments in life, not just the ones you think are cool.....

Every night before I go to sleep, I tell my wife and son that I love them. You always expect, but never know if you're going to wake up in the morning, and the last thing I ever want them to hear from me is those simple 3 words.

 

Hey I know all about how life goes and how death will come when you least expect it. I have had my share of funerals...6 too many.

Anyways, how many bags of that dessicant stuff will I need for my 98?

 

Dad's garage was built of concrete block and was pretty much mouse proof. he had traps but never caught one or ever had mouse damage. The problem with it was that it was cool and damp so adding straw kept moisture away from the car.. When he stored the 52 in my garage an unheated wood 2 car mice and squirrels used to get in the car. Squirrels filled it full of seeds and nuts and the mice stole all the stuffing from the back seat before I started a trapping campaign.

 

You might consider buying a tent/shelter used for tailgating parties to cover your Olds. You can get 5 gallong buckets and fill them with cement or sand to secure the uprights to the ground without driving them into the ground. Then you can park the car under the shelter and put a cover on it for extra protection. Then you won't have to worry about the cover freezing to the car.

 

I'll run it past my dad, see what he says. Its really wet up here, all the snow is melting for some reason....

 

I use 2 bags in the front seat, 2 in the back seat, 2 in the trunk, and I put 1 in each of the quarters after removing the plastic vent in the door jamb.

 

I think it's time to get your own place. Your parents may be sending you a message.

 

13 years ago I bought my house. Before that my 442 lived under an Evolution 3 car cover. In winter I'd brush the snow off the car and it was always show worthy.

 

He's 17 and still in high school. If that's the message they're sending, it's ludicrous.

 

Classic! I feel your pain; when I lived at home 25 yrs ago my dad would wake up at 5 am and make a racket . And it's not like we lived on a farm.