From: bakc@giraffe.ru.ac.za (MR KR COMAN)
Subject: Re: Car storage
Organization: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 06:41:21 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.142223.8314@mcnc.org> brooks@mcnc.org (Ted Brooks) writes:
>From: brooks@mcnc.org (Ted Brooks)
>Subject: Re: Car storage
>Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 14:22:23 GMT
>In article <bakc.148.717835847@giraffe.ru.ac.za> bakc@giraffe.ru.ac.za (MR KR COMAN) writes:
>>In article <1a9pdrINN27l@bigboote.WPI.EDU> walkerr@yaya.WPI.EDU (Robert A Walker) writes:
>>>From: walkerr@yaya.WPI.EDU (Robert A Walker)
>>>Subject: Re: Car storage
>>>Date: 29 Sep 1992 14:32:27 GMT
>>>
>>>>Why do you store the car on blocks?  What purpose does it serve?
>>>
>>>The reason you put it up on blocks is to save the tires.  A tire tha sits
>>>around with a lot of weight on it tends to crack, with dry rot and all.  
>>>The tires are much safer sitting by themselves.
>>
>>Yep, up on blocks only needed if you're not up to removing the wheels.
>>>
>Wait a minute. Think about that. Are you saying you _don't_ have to put it
>up on blocks if you _are_ taking the wheels off? What is the car going to
>sit on - the frame? 

  YEEWOUCH!!!!  Sorry chaps and thanks Ted!  Really let the fingers get 
ahead of the dozen remaining grey cells on this one!!   Revised version: Up 
on blocks VITALLY necessary if you want to remove the wheels to save the 
tyres.  (Lemme read that last sentence again slowly....yep, looks OK.)  You 
can of course elevate the car on blocks with the wheels still on -- 
which will still have the effect of saving the tyres but without the 
wheel-changing hassle.  Operative principles are to take the strain 
off the sidewalls of the tyres and keep the direct sun off 'em too.   	

>To further complicate the issue - where should one put the blocks? If you
>put them on the axle/suspension, the springs will still be carrying the 
>car's load unneccesarily, and contribute to long-term spring sagging. If you
>put them against the frame, the suspension is fully extended. Then, the full
>travel of the shocks will exposed to moisture and potential rust. Any
>thoughts on this one? (Can't win, can we?) Personally, I vote for blocks on
>the frame - shocks are cheaper than springs. But then the car's higher up in
>the air, and could fall further if dislodged. I just can't decide what to do.
>I must have the Ross Perot syndrome :-)

 When I rebuilt my '55 Rover it was off-road for nearly 18 months.  I put
 it up on axle stands.  At the rear the back axle casing took the strain -- 
 no suspension distortion involved, the springs merely supported the car as
  they would have done otherwise.   At the front, the stands were on the 
 chassis outriggers.  The front suspension assemblies were hanging down for 
a time  until I jacked them up to a point where they were just taking the 
 weight, at which point they got "blocked".

 BTW, who's Ross Perot?   A design stylist at Ford in the late 
 1950's assigned to the Edsel radiator grille project, I do hear tell?  Cut 
 his  teeff on the Chrysler Air-Flow back before the war, maybe?? 

 Cheers,
 Keith
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