Author: Steve Burns

When it comes to storing a Corvette or any other car over the winter or other long stretch of time there are a number of options available. Ask 5 different people which method is best and you’ll likely get 5 different responses. This how we store our cars in the CorvetteBlogger garage.

One of the most important considerations in storing a car for an extended period of time is keeping as much moisture as possible away from the car. Whether your car is in a heated garage or not, moisture is the menace that can ruin your spring and summer fun in a number of ways. Our method is designed to keep moisture away from our rides while they’re sleeping.

So here’s what you’ll need to store your car our way:

• Standard Tarp: 16’ x 8’ or larger
• 4 pieces of 1/4 “ thick OSB plywood
• Car Jacket and desiccant
• Battery Tender + tools to remove the battery
• Fuel Stabilizer
• Quick detailing spray + rags

We start the storage process by placing a standard tarp on the floor of the garage to act as a moisture barrier. We use just a standard tarp which you can obtain from your local home improvement store. Thicker is better so spend a little more here for a more substantial tarp. Next, place 4 pieces of regular ¼” thick OSB plywood side-by-side in 2 rows of 2 on top of the tarp. You can use thicker or better grade lumber if you choose. We’re just cheap and the OSB seems to work just fine for us. Now is a good time to add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank of your car. We use STA-BIL for this job. Make sure you follow the directions and add the correct amount to your gas tank.

After you’ve got the tarp and plywood down, next comes the fun part. We use a Car Jacket from Pine Ridge Enterprises. Think of this like a giant Zip Lock bag. Unfold the Car Jacket and spread it out on the floor on top of the plywood. Make sure the Car Jacket is flat and drive your car onto the bag. Be sure to center your car on the bag so it will zip closed when you’re ready. You may want to perform a “practice closing” of the bag just to make sure your Corvette is properly placed on the bag. Otherwise you’ll just have to move the car again later (after the battery is out). Now that your car is in its extended resting place give it once last wipe down with the cleaner of your choosing. The car will need time to cool off anyway before you close up the Car Jacket. We like Meguiar’s Quik Detailer for the final cleaning job of the season. This step is kind of like brushing your teeth before bed.

After your car is clean, it’s time to remove the battery. Those of you with later model Corvettes and/or cars with power windows will want to make sure you’ve got the windows cracked open slightly prior to pulling the battery. Also be sure to leave a door and the rear hatch open as well for interior access. Those of you with manual windows will have no worries here. Once the battery is out, place it in a warm, dry area (like your basement) and hook it up to a smart charger. If you can’t store your battery in the house, outside in the garage is fine too just make sure everything is safe from water contact. We like Detran’s Battery Tender. This charger only charges the battery when it needs it and lets the battery rest when it’s full.

Now back to the car. Your car is now in position on its bed of tarp and wood which is below your Car Jacket. If the engine and exhaust have cooled fully it’s now time to button things up for the winter. The first step here is to place the desiccant packs included with your Car Jacket throughout the car and car bag. We like to place packs 3 inside the car: 1 in the rear compartment, 1 on the passenger’s floor board and 1 on the driver’s floor board. Place the remaining packs evenly spaced underneath the car. Next, shut the doors (remember to keep the windows cracked), hood, rear hatch, and anything else you’ve left open and put a car cover over on your ride. Finally, double check that you’ve got everything you need out of your car and proceed to close up the Car Jacket as long as everything has fully cooled off.

As we mentioned earlier, there are many ways to store a car. This is just a method we’ve found which works will to get us through a frosty Midwestern winter. If you follow the steps we’ve outlined here your car should emerge in the springtime looking just as it did when you left it several months prior. The brake rotors won’t even have any rust on them.

Got any storage tips for us? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Mecum Auctions is in Kansas City, Missouri this weekend for their final sale of 2011. The auction runs Thursday, December 1st, through Saturday the 3rd at the Kansas City Convention Center. Velocity will have 12 hours of live TV coverage of the action.

We last counted 540ish cars and motorcycles on the KC docket. Roughly 75 Corvettes are spread throughout the catalog. All 6 generations will be represented with C3′s and C4′s compiling about 50% of the Corvette offerings. The Corvette breakdown by generation is as follows: C1: 12, C2: 9, C3: 27, C4: 20, C5: 4, and C6: 2.

Included in the mix is a very nice ’64 fuelie (Lot #S88) and a Red/Red ’65 396ci Survivor (Lot #S127) which looks to be the same one that went through the Dallas Mecum sale last month.

Here’s a quick look at 3 Corvettes we hope Santa will leave under our tree in a few weeks.

Lot #S121 NCRS Top Flight 1956 Corvette Roadster:

This no-hit red on red roadster features beige coves and soft top. Power comes from a 265ci motor with the rare Duntov cam. Just 111 cars were so equipped in 1956. Other options include signal seeking radio, parking brake alarm, and dual-quad carbs. The car won a NCRS Top Flight award in 2006. The car appears to be in great condition and will likely have several interested parties when it hits the auction block Saturday around 3:45pm Central time.

Lot #F222 1978 Corvette Pace Car:
This unrestored, original Pace Car is number 4,219 of 6,502 built and has only travelled 119 miles between its previous 2 owners. This one is so untouched that even the window sticker remains on the passenger side glass. The auction listing states that it “starts and runs like new” and comes with a copy of the MSO and a framed broadcast sheet. Powertrain isn’t mentioned in the listing, but it appears to be a base L48, automatic car. Super low mile ’78 Pace Cars can be somewhat common in the marketplace. The L82, 4-speed cars tend to be more desirable, but we imagine there will still be several collectors in line for this one when it comes up for bid on Friday night.

Lot #S119 1972 LT-1 Corvette Convertible with A/C
This white on saddle ’72 LT-1 is one of the very few roadsters to come equipped with RPO C60 Air Conditioning. Although no formal documentation exists, consensus is that roughly 50 LT-1 convertibles were built. Power comes from a matching number LT-1 350 with 255hp routed through a 4 Speed. Other options include a hardtop, power steering, power brakes, and power windows. The 65,000 mile car is documented with a two page tank sheet. This could very well be one of the highest priced Corvettes of the weekend. With the right combination of bidders in the room this one could flirt with or cross six figures. The color combo could hold it back slightly, though.

Mecum’s KC event runs this Thursday through Saturday at the Kansas City Convention Center – Bartle Hall. Vehicle sales start at 11am Central If you can’t make it to the auction you can watch live streaming coverage on Mecum’s website. In addition, Velocity network (formerly HD Theater) will have 12 hours of live coverage as well:

• Thursday: 5-9pm (Central Time)
• Friday: 3-7pm (Central time)
• Saturday: 1-5pm (Central Time)

Source:
Mecum Auctions

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Last weekend hundreds of the country’s finest Corvettes, muscle cars, and customs stormed into Chicago for the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. We had a blast on our inaugural trip to this show. We’ve already shown you the Motion Maco Corvette, Mid America’s prototype C5′s, and the LS6’s in the Class of 1971 display. Click past the break to see more of the fantastic Corvettes from the 2011 MCACN.

Corvettes-a-plenty were in attendance throughout the MCACN show floor. ProTeam’s Stars and Stripes L88 was front and center in the lobby greeting visitors as they arrived at the Stephens Convention Center. There were 6 additional Corvettes in the Baldwin-Motion display including 2 of their rare Spyders. One of which had just been recently discovered and was shown in unrestored form. The Ed Cole ’67 L89 was presented as part of the COPO display while an awesome gasser and a big brake fuelie showed up in the Class of 1961 invitational. Also in there was a 1961 racer formerly piloted by Dick Guldstrand. A separate display showcased 16 Corvettes owned by one person. Included in the collection was a set of 1958 fuelies consisting of 1 in each available color that year. Elsewhere, the Triple Diamond Corvettes shined as the judges poured over them checking for correctness, originality, and cleanliness.

Vendors like Corvette Central setup shop to help connect patrons with the parts and accessories they were looking for. They also hosted a seminar each day with their neat cutaway C4. Adam Boca and the NCM insurance team gave free quotes and answered questions throughout the weekend. Those getting a quote were given a free Corvette poster.

In addition to the Corvettes, there were GTO’s, Shelby’s, Cobra’s, and even a display of AMC’s. Our favorite non-vette displays were the collection of 16 (of the 69) ZL-1 Camaro’s and the display of the 4 (of the 11) 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles. Tuners like Yenko, Mr. Norm’s, Berger, and Nickey all had phenomenal displays with both old and new cars showing off their work.

The overall quality of the cars at this show was amazing. It seemed like every car there was a “1 of” some low production number. If you have the chance next year, make it a point to get to the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.

We’ve given you a sneak peak of some of the cars from MCACN on our Facebook page, but you can see more from the show in our gallery below.

Related:
MCACN 2011: The Corvette Class of 1971
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MCACN 2011: Motion Maco Corvette Unveiling
The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals Blow into the Windy City this Weekend

 

One of the marquee events of the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals was the Class of 1971 invitational display. This gathering celebrates muscle cars that turned 40 years old this year. Included among the Hemi ‘Cuda’s, Mustangs, and Chevelles were a batch of rare LS6 powered Corvettes. Check out all 2,125 horsepower in our exclusive photo gallery.

Chevrolet dropped the mighty 454ci LS6 engine on the automotive world for just one Corvette model year. For an additional $1,221 buyers got the thumping big block twisting out 475 ft-lbs of torque and 425 horsepower through its aluminum intake and cylinder heads. That’s just 5 less ponies and 51 more ft-lbs of torque than a 2011 base Corvette. The compression ratio was a relatively low 9:1 thanks to increasing attention on exhaust emissions and rising insurance premiums.

Just 188 total LS6 optioned Corvettes were born in 1971. That’s less than 1% of total production that year. The makes them more rare than the prized L88 Corvettes which had a 3 year production run. In the June 1971 issue of Car and Driver a LS6 Corvette with a M22 4 speed transmission and 3.36 rear gear cranked out a 0-60mph time of 5.3 seconds. After 12.7 seconds the speedometer was clicking past 100mph. It thundered through the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds at 104mph.

Only a handful of LS6 Corvettes show up at shows and auctions each year. At this year’s MCACN we were lucky enough to see 5 of them parked together in the Class of 1971 display. The collection was made up of 3 convertibles and 2 coupes covering 5 of the 10 colors available in 1971. They broke down as follows:

• Mille Miglia Red Convertible
• Nevada Silver convertible (Proteam Corvette)
• Classic White convertible
• Sunflower Yellow coupe
• Steel Cities Gray coupe

Seeing this many LS6’s in one spot was quite the experience. Check out of photo gallery below.

Related:
MCACN 2011: Mid America’s Prototype C5 Corvettes
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It’s not very often that we get to take an up close and personal look at a prototype Corvette. Most all of them are either crushed or destroyed during development by GM although a few of them have slipped out the door in the past. Mid America Motorworks brought three rare C5 prototypes to the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals last weekend in Chicago. We poured over them a couple of times throughout the weekend and you can too after the jump.

Nestled among the gleaming show cars of MCACN, Mid America had their C5 prototypes still wearing the battle scars of their pasts. Representing the C5’s development were the CERV-IVb, an Alpha phase mule, and a Beta phase Mule. The CERV is the oldest of the trio and the most interesting. More on that one a little later. The Alpha and Beta cars are much more familiar to us as they more closely represent what ended up going into production.

The evolution in design is readily apparent between each of the models. Each car is covered with various labels identifying the cars and giving different warnings to would-be pilots. Gaps are uneven and many of the parts are crudely put together. The CERV is basically a modified C4. The Alpha car is rough and clearly a first attempt at a C5. The Beta car is much more evolved but still an obvious pre-production model. The Alpha and Beta cars both still wear their camouflage over the production bodywork. Hookups for data acquisition systems still reside under the hood and at other locations around each car.

We found ourselves most intrigued by the CERV-IVb. From a distance it looks pretty much like a regular C4 that’s led a long life. Once you get closer to it you notice several things that make it much more than a 4th generation Corvette. Thanks to the black paint and our low buck camera (we’ve asked Santa to bring us a new one), it may be hard to pick some of the C5 items on the C4. First, there’s the trunk door in the rear deck. When looking at the car from the rear you’ll notice that the haunches are wider, resembling those of a ZR-1. Look low on the rear end and you’ll see that the traditional C4 exhaust
cutouts are filled in and the exhaust now exits in the center of the car. There’s also the driver’s side mounted gas filler. Those with a keen eye will notice the lengthened wheelbase. Take a look at the distance between the rear of the doors and the rear wheel. It’s a good 4 or so inches longer than the standard C4. Upfront there’s the big open mouth below front bumper. Inside, the interior is a handmade cabin meant to propose what was to be next for Corvette. The gauge cluster looks to be from a late 90’s Camaro. Again the wounds from development and testing are evident all over the CERV-IVb.

All 3 cars are a fantastic glimpse into Corvette history. These are usually the cars we only see photos of and hear GM engineers tell is about. The trio now lives in the MY Garage collection at Mid America Motorworks. If you get the chance to see them in person take some time to study the nuances and see how much you recognize from the production C5’s in these prototypes.

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If you follow us on Facebook,you saw us give you a sneak peak at this car last Saturday. Purchased from “Mr. Motion” Joel Rosen about 10 years ago, it recently completed a very lengthy, very thorough, and (we imagine) a very expensive restoration. It was unveiled for the very first time last weekend at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Chicago by the current owner Dan McMichael, Joel Rosen, and Martyn Schorr. You can check out some more photos its debut after the break.

In 1965 Joel Rosen saw the famous Mako Shark styling car at the New York auto show. About 6 years later, Motion Performance began marketing and selling turnkey shark Corvettes in addition to conversion kits and the infamous Phase III GT. The example seen here was built as a show car delivered on November 2nd, 1974. The lucky owner was Anthony Dedentro of Jackson Heights, New York.

Unique features to this car were the bubble taillights, custom diamond-tufted interior, and air conditioning. Motivation came courtesy of a 350ci engine. Sticker price was an astonishing $17,039.75 when new. Keep in mind that a base 1970 Corvette coupe was only $5,192.

In person, this car is visually stunning. From the perfect sparkling chrome to the custom shark-themed paint, no detail was missed during the restoration. Each time we walked by it, we notice yet another special detail or feature. The car had a crowd around it all weekend, especially when the flip-nose hood went for a short period of time.

For more info on this car, check out MakoShark2.com.

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This weekend over 500 Corvettes, muscle cars, and customs will rumble into Chicago for the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. The 2-day spectacular will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont this Saturday and Sunday November 19th and 20th. The show runs from 9am-9pm on Saturday and 9am-5pm on Sunday. Click past the jump to check out some of feature at this weekend’s show.

Corvette fans will have a number of attractions to keep them entertained throughout the weekend. The Class of ‘71 display will have one circle featuring the thumping LS6-engined Corvettes. The Class of ‘61 invitational will celebrate classics, including examples of America’s sport car, which turned 50 years old this year. In addition, the 2nd Motion Madness collection will feature some of the best offerings from Baldwin-Motion including, of course, Corvettes. Finally there’s the Triple Diamond judging and display. This competition features only Corvettes that have previously achieved NCRS Top Flight and Bloomington Gold status.

In addition to the Corvette-related events, there will be cars present for all muscle car lovers. Displays will include Mr. Norm’s, Nickey, and Yenko cars while the Dodge Challenger T/A reunion will appease the Mopar crowd. Ford and Shelby fans can check out the Shelby Snake Pit and Camaro enthusiasts can view the ZL-1 display. There will also be appearances by several automotive celebrities including Joel Rosen, Tony DeLorenzo, and Jim Mattison among numerous others. If you’re looking to make a purchase at the show be sure to take a stroll through the swap meet and the car corral. Young gearheads and the young at heart can compete in the model car contest.

Tickets to the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals are $20 at the door, but you can grab discount tix at one of several local supporters prior to the show. The show runs 9-9 on Saturday and 9-5 on Sunday. Check out the MCACN website for more details on the show.

We’ll be attending the MCACN show this weekend so stay tuned here for a full wrap up of all the weekend’s activities.

Source:
MCACN
Photo Credit: Gary Gerstner

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Our friends at Corvette Market magazine have announced that their quarterly publication will morph into American Car Collector magazine. The new magazine will be published 6 times per year (a 50% increase) and current CM subscribers will automatically receive American Car Collector throughout the duration of their subscriptions.

Since its inception a few years ago, Corvette Market has been the go-to source for Corvette auction coverage and results (in addition to CorvetteBlogger.com!). The new American Car Collector Magazine bows in January 2012 and will focus on all makes of cars at auction from classics to hot rods and, of course, Corvettes. America’s sports car will have its own column and profile in each edition of ACC. According to a post on the NCRS discussion board by CM and ACC publisher Keith Martin, “Corvette Market was profitable and doing well, but we had so many requests from subscribers to incorporate other American cars that it just made sense to fold it into a new magazine…).

We’ve been avid readers of Corvette Market since its inception and are looking forward to perusing American Car Collector. Check out a 12 page preview of ACC.

Source:
Corvette Market

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Leake Auction Company will be offering over 30 Corvettes for sale at their upcoming Dallas event. The three day sale will take place Friday, November 18th through Sunday, November 20th at Market Hall in Dallas, Texas. Among the Corvette offerings are two very rare cars: a 1961 big tank racecar and a 1971 LS6 Coupe. You can read more about each lot after the break.

Currently, the Corvette portion of the docket looks like this: 1 C1, 8 C2’s, 15 C3’s, 7 C4’s and 1 lone C5. All the auction action will take place simultaneously in 2 separate auction rings. Now here’s a closer look at the 2 cars we mentioned earlier.

Lot #475: 1961 Big Tank Corvette Racer

This white on blue 1961 roadster is equipped with 2 of the rarest options available that year. Of the 10,939 Corvettes built that year, just 233 left St. Louis with RPO 687 which included semi metallic brakes with finned brake drums, and faster steering ratio in addition to the heavy duty suspension. Even rarer that year was RPO 1625, the 24 gallon fuel tank of which just 25 were produced. The combination of RPO’s 687 and 1625 not only make this car highly desirable, but also makes it superb for long distance races. The car is currently fitted with a Traco 292 race motor, but a date coded 283CI/315hp block comes along in the deal.

You know we love documentation on these low production cars and this one has been inspected by Corvette racecar guru Jim Gessner from the Registry of Corvette Race Cars who believes it to be one of those 25 big tank cars built in 1961. It was also identified by Larry Shinoda and Zora Duntov as a test car in the 1980’s while at the Monterrey Historic races. The car is currently owned and raced by Wes Abendroth and comes with its logbooks to document it racing history.

Lot #2492: 1971 LS6 Corvette Coupe

Back in 1971 insurance companies and emission regulations were slowly putting an end to the muscle car movement. For 1971 Chevrolet dropped compression ratios in order to begin to comply with the rules. Chevy, though, still had one more surprise in store for big block lovers, the thumping LS6 454. The motor produced 425hp at 5,600 rpm and 475ft-lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm. RPO LS6 added $1,221 to the price of your 1971 Corvette and just 188 cars had one stuffed between the front fenders.

Lot #2492 features the aforementioned LS6 backed to the M40 automatic transmission. The Brands Hatch Green on Saddle car has been subjected to a body-off restoration and includes a photo album documenting its return to glory. The auction listing states that the car is listed in the NCRS LS6 registry, but it doesn’t make any reference to matching numbers or if a tank sheet exists this car.

Both of these highly desirable Corvettes will generate tons of attention when they cross the block. We expect both of them to hit six-figures quickly. Grab your bidder pass and bid early and often.

Source:
Leake Auction Company

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The title on the Dallas Craigslist ad simply reads “1999 Chevrolet Corvette Yellow 8 Cylinder Automatic Coupe – $104,900”. Savvy internet searchers will immediately notice the $105k price tag and wonder what kind of C5 can merit such a lofty sum. Well, this one can as it’s one of the 19 Callaway C12’s built in 1999. Click past the jump for more on this rare bird.

Ruf Automotive Centre in Carrollton, Texas is currently offering this yellow 1999 Callaway C12 for sale. According to the ad description, the car has travelled just 13,979 miles since new and has been well cared for by its previous owners. The 440hp Supernatural (non supercharged version) features the following options: LeMans brakes, coilovers, carbon fiber body, carbon fiber interior, Alpine Audiophile stereo, and Callaway sport seats. We’re especially enamored by the black/yellow combo interior. You’ll also note that there’s actually a 6 speed transmission lurking in there as opposed to the auto referenced in the ad. The selling dealer states that the original MSRP from Callaway was a staggering $204,565!

We did a little digging through the Callaway Owners Group website and this example appears to be car #15 built in 1999 and it’s one of only 2 yellow cars assembled that year. For reference, car #16, a blue automatic speedster with 10,000 miles sold earlier this year at Mecum’s Monterrey auction for $90,000. So the $104,900 asking price on this one doesn’t seem to be too far off.

For more information on this car you can check out the Craigslist ad or Ruf’s website.

Source:
Craigtslist

Related:
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