Storing your Car- Tips to Minimize DamageWritten by D.Demetre
So you now have car of your dreams. You’ve sunk a huge amount of time and money into restoring it and keeping it in pristine showroom condition and running smoothly. But wait a minute- winter is coming. You want to drive your car in snow, through road salt, sand and corrosive chemicals? I thought not. You want to store it for winter s inexpensively as possible? You also want to be able to put it back on road with little or no hassle and have it ready for spring in same condition it went into storage in? Read on. . Indoor storage is, of course, best way to go. And it’s really your only option if you are going to be away for a couple of years or longer.You don’t need a garage, as indoor storage facilities are plentiful. Most "mini-storage" type places will gladly rent storage spaces big enough for vehicles. Additionally, try to find someone who can "exercise" vehicle every month or two. Although it’s an additional expense in your vehicle budget, proper long term storage will save you money on restoration when you're ready to drive your dream car again. You can never be too clean for storage, so first thing you want to do is clean vehicle. Wait for a dry warm day and give your car a complete wash and wax. Be sure to get underbody as clean as possible too- particularly wheel well areas. Any dirt will hold moisture and combine with air, causing rust propagation. A thorough cleaning is in order for interior, also. Use a shop vacuum or household vacuum cleaner, getting into all little nooks and crannies. All crumbs, pizza crusts, French fries etc. must go. Otherwise small creatures will be drawn to it and make their home inside your vehicle. To go extra mile, a good carpet will help discourage them. Do all this early in day to allow time to dry before putting car in storage. Take spark plugs out and put some oil into cylinders. This prevents cylinder walls, pistons and valves from rusting. Regular motor oil is fine or get a spray can of fogging oil from a marine supply store. Turn over engine by hand half a dozen times to ensure oil coats everything. Next apply a little anti-seize compound on spark plugs and reinstall them. Make sure gas tank is full. This will decrease amount of water available to be absorbed by gasoline.
| | Raw Excitement for the Jeep HurricaneWritten by Jenny McLane
Designing a functional prototype from an idea in such a short time was challenging. It was a tremendous feeling when everything functioned as designed first time” said Brett Wallihan, MillenWorks Design Engineer, “You just don’t expect a vehicle to rotate around its own axis like that. It was surreal.”This statement summed up for high praises and awe crowd bestowed on Jeep Hurricane took center stage at Detroit auto show DaimlerChrysler Corporation press conference. Innovative in style, Jeep Hurricane included a centrally located twin-engine transfer case, in-board brakes, drive shafts, front and rear steering, and complete corner assemblies. It has a centrally located transfer case coupling power from both engines and distribute all wheel drive torque to each corner of vehicle. The Jeep Hurricane's Shift-by-wire mechanisms allow wheels on one side of vehicle to run in reverse, which, coupled with split solid axles and 55 degrees front and rear wheel toe-in angles, allows vehicle to rotate around its own axis.
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