Brett Harris - May 2022

Summer Heat and Classic Cars

Most people consider summer the perfect driving weather for classic cars. The weather is warm. Wind is in your hair, or like me across the scalp. Birds are out, and trees whizzing by along that winding country lane. You end up at that favorite ice cream shop, lunch spot, or lake to spend a relaxing afternoon. Then you do it again on the way home. This is how you spend your weekends as summer turns into autumn. Then as winter closes in, you start preparing your car for hibernation.

That isn’t quite how things work here in the desert. Prime driving time is spring and autumn. Those seasons are about like a northeast summer. Winters can be nice during the day, and with working heat can continue into the nighttime. We don’t typically have to worry about rust or snow. Maybe some rain here or there. During the summer when temperatures sit around 105° F at midnight, our cars typically sit garaged for the most extreme months. Only the bravest of classic car owners take them out in July or August. This could be out of fear of overheating the car, or overheating ourselves. My MGB has British Leyland Air Conditioning. It was engineered for British summers in the 1970s. It doesn’t make my car cold; it just makes it less hot. Summer in Las Vegas is a good time to work on those projects that you’ve been thinking about the rest of the year, but couldn’t because you were having too much fun driving your car. This is especially true if you have an air conditioned garage.

If you are going to park your car for the hottest of the upcoming season, it’s a good idea to prepare your car similarly to when our friends up north park for winter. Give the car a nice washing and clean the interior. You don’t want to come back mid September to find some critter munching on old French fries. Speaking of critters, according to Garageliving.com, close off any exterior air vents, plug air intake and exhaust with steel wool. Be sure to remove that before starting your car again. Prior to storing the car, drive it until the tank is low, go to a gas station and add fuel stabilizer just before filling the tank. This will help the stabilizer mix with the gasoline. Change the oil and top off the coolant. Lastly, inflate the tires to your car’s recommended PSI. For even more tire protection, you can put the car on jack stands so the tires don’t get flat spots from sitting under the weight of the car.

My car probably won’t go out as much during the summer, but it probably will make some trips up Mt Charleston or late night drives downtown. I do not have an air-conditioned garage, so car projects will slow down at my house. What extended projects are you planning for your car? Would you like to host a Tune and Tech to show us what you’re working on? We have done early morning Beat The Heat drives. Is that something that interests you?

Please join us at our

General Membership Meeting

the last Sunday of the month

from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (approx.)

Wildhorse Golf Club 
2100 W. Warm Springs Road
Henderson, Nevada 89014