Axle Stands, Covers and keeping dry

[Martin Moxon]

Now the dark nights are upon us I'm about to enter my first winter with a seven rested up in the garage.

So far the only axle stands I've seen are in Halfords which have a warning not to use 4 together? Any solutions recommendations!

Covers, I note Caterham themselves sell an indoor dust cover - is it designed for hood up as the manual suggests for wintering the car or are there alternatives I should consider? Again any suggestions!

Finally, our garage is single, integrated though not built over. I've a dehumidifier, will this be sufficient to keep everything ok through to April or should I look at extra heating - one problem is lack of space - with car in garage I have at most 2 foot either side at the points where nothing else is at the side. Unfortunately we've no room for the other stuff in the garage elsewhere in the house and cannot really get rid of the stuff.

 

Thoughts and ideas most welcome.

 

N.B. Funds and space make the likes of a carcoon a non-starter at this point in time

 

Martin Moxon

Not the Cricketer

[Colin Grundy]

Martin

I dont understand why Halfords claim you should not use 4 axle stands together!

I've had mine on 4 axle stands during build since August and its as steady as a rock.

There has been some recent threads on the merits/or not of de-humidifiers.

Consensus of opinion is there not really worth it, depending on how open to the elements your garage is I suppose.

I keep mine under a car cover to keep the bugs and crap off. Heating a garage I thought would have created condensation, unless of course its relatively air proof and you keep the heating on all of the time. I think the most important thing is to keep the garage dry. Some sort of air flow I thought would have been a good thing IMO.

[Andy Plunkett]

Martin, you should have no problem using four Halfords axle stands I have used four for years with no mishaps. It is not worth buying an inside dust cover far better to buy the external one (cheaper from Red Line) then you have best of both worlds. Don't know about dehumidi---- things but I use two 150 watt tube heaters and have not had any problems.

 

 

[Johnty Lyons]

The best way to keep you beloved car happy is to move the Central Heating boiler out to the garage and run the main feed pipes the long way round the garage into the house without lagging them. has worked a treat for me for the past 10 yrs plus it makes the garage a joy to work in , just tell her indoors how much extra room she'll have in the utility room

 

jj

N.I. L7C AO.

Membership No.3927.

[Martin Moxon]

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

At present the moving of boiler etc to garage is dependent upon new kitchen - a Seven came first - but our garage has good air circulation i.e. drafty

 

Quick questions on your replies:

Am I right in assuming the axle stands you guys are using require separate jacking up of the car & then lowering it on - the bods at Halfords claimed that if you get it on 2 & then jack the other end it will all move & fall over - I was a bit sceptical but thought I'd raise the query before shelling out my dosh. I suppose the use of 2 jacks and a mate/neighbour to do the lift simultaneously would alleviate the problem. I've also heard you can get a sort of double stand arrangement with a cross support bar

Secondly, do you have any contact details for Red Line as their cover sounds ideal.

Finally, any good suppliers/makers of tube heaters

 

 

 

Martin Moxon

Not the Cricketer

[Bricol]

Why rest it?

 

Its a car - use it, enjoy it at all times - sevens are actually quite good on fresh snow (with supplied Avons anyway) - mine lived outside all last winter - apart from corrosion marks on tha nodised screen surround (left roof on too long - like a month or two - it didn't stop raining/snowing/hailing long enough when I was near it to actually take it down).

 

A good blast on a cold, crisp clear winters day take some beating (okay, a good blast on a warm, clear summers evening maybe).

 

Good wash every now and again takes car of the salt - airflow past car takes care of damp. . .

 

The only time I really wouldn't use it was heavy rain (no fun) or ice / packed snow - no fun when the tin top slides into and over you!

 

Bri

[scooby dooby doo]

Blats on cold winter's days with the sun shining, or even on crsip clear nights are great stuff. Givie it a drive every couple of weeks. If you find you really don't enjoy it in the cold then put it away - I reckon you'll love it though

 

HOOPY 500 kg R706KGU

[Colin Grundy]

Martin

Be rest assured that you will have NO problems by jacking up one end of the car and putting it securely on axle stands and then jack the other end up and do the same.

If you try and balance both ends up on two jacks you will have stability problems. Thats what axle stands are for. Just use the correct jacking points and the correct points on the chassis or de-dion tube and you should have no problems. Just for the record I use the halfords 2 tonne axle stands.

The car at most only weighs just over half a tonne. (unless you have a VX engine!!) JOKE!

[Gary G]

Which end do you recommend to jack up first?

 

C7 GAR

 

[Colin Grundy]

Back end first, under the diff and put the stands under the de-dion tube.

[scooby dooby doo]

the rear jacking pint should be where the dedion tube abd a-frame neet. Don't jack on the diff casing itself.

 

HOOPY 500 kg R706KGU

[puremalt]

You must drive on a winter's day, so long as it's dry. The looks you get with a warm hat on are exquisite. Particularly as you go past them

[I.Mupferit]

I think the Halfords remark is really just to cover themselves should a mechanical luddite cause the stands to tip over. It is certainly possible to cause them to tilt whilst jacking up the opposite end but if you use a trolley jack on castors, this will move to compensate as you are lifting.

 

As for winter protection, I do use a de-humidifier and actually find it very good, especially as it keeps all the tools (and sound system + television 😬) in pristine condition as well.

 

Together with full insulation and a radiator running off the central heating, it is very cosy to work out there even on the coldest of winter evenings.

 

I would also suggest a battery conditioner to keep that topped up throughout the winter. They are only about £34 or so and IMO well worth the money.

 

Brent

[Dirty Den]

and sound system + television

Blimey Brent! Do you live in your garage or something?

 

As regards covers, don't get a cheap one that will scratch the paintwork where the cover rests. Consider moving the car back & forward every so often, to avoid flat-spotting the tyres, if the car is not off the ground.

 

Den

 

😬 - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile!

[ewenm]

I'm with the "Drive it through the winter" crowd (no choice - only car). Mine's coming up to it's 3rd winter parked outside with no ill effects so far. Driving on a crisp winter day is hard to beat, especially as the roads tend to be a bit quieter.

E.

 

 

Ewen Malloch

P979TMV - Yellow 1.6 K Series

[I.Mupferit]

Den

 

Errrr.............yep pretty much 😬 Especially as the wine racks and beer cooler are out there as well ❗ *thumbup*

 

 

[Rob_the_Sparky]

If you jack on a "soft" surface (like my tarmac drive) the jack can sink into the surface and will try to pull the car towards the jack as you lift it. This is dangerous anyway but if other end is on stands then is very bad.

 

If the surfaces are hard (concrete) and you are careful then you will not have a problem with 4 stands.

 

In my garage I have put some of that cheap sticky back foam door sealer around the garage door and some small bits of wood pushed up against the bottom of the door and it is now MUCH less drafty. Oh and got an old tube of seaent and sealed up all the gaps in the door itself (where door skin "meets" the outer edge of the door). You'd be amazed how bad a fit these doors are and what a difference it makes. Mine is a built over garage and the heat from the house is plenty to keep it dry and relatively warm.

 

Rob

[Martin Moxon]

Thanks again everyone. I wish the subject of running it over the winter hadn't been brought up cos' I've been very tempted especially as my 1st sevening experience was my birthday last November when my wife hired me one for 4 days - so lucky as the only rain I saw was just before I dropped it back off at the hirers so had 4 great bright sunny days.

 

2 main excuses for resting it up:-

1. Weekdays I don't get much chance to get out and just drive and weekends is mainly taken up with footy on saturdays and doing stuff with wife & kids sunday;

2. Neighbour is a highways engineer and is one of the ones who runs the winter maintenance programme for E Yorks. He's into cars and swaps his wheels and other bits to reduce the amount of salt damage, though I suppose I could get the info off him as to the amount of grit put down - they have loads of different levels apparently.

 

I'm so tempted, it's just the weather is so crap at the moment

 

Martin Moxon

Not the Cricketer