Winter storage carpentry help needed

So like some, my car will be stored/undriven during the winter months in my garage. The problem rests in my concrete floor will condensate, will be cold, and is flat, creating possible issue after issue for my tires since the car will be sitting till around March. I don't want to have to buy tires first thing spring time (unless I willingly decide to go to some drag radials). Putting the car up on blocks is bad on the suspension and even if the car is up just high enough from the tires to be barely on the ground, on the rare winter season days that it could be drivable, that's too much of a pain in the ass to get down and back up. Carpet is also done by some (with plastic underneath to keep the carpet/tires from getting condensation soaked), but people don't realize is that pretty much all carpet has chemicals in the fibers that are harmful to rubber.

I've heard of these:



CLICK ME HERE FOR MORE INFO, I'M A WORK SAFE LINK and they seem to be the best solution to the issue, but I'm not trying to see $200+ fly away to molded plastic that probably costs less than $30 in material to make. And yes much like Apple products, they are $200+ everywhere, and I only found 1 competitor product that was $200+ as well.

So I thought about making my own out of pressure sealed lumber. Problem is I do not have the proper carpentry tools to get the job done. I'm thinking probably a bandsaw and sander (and probably a drill press to recess some screws)? Not sure.

I figure lumber has to be way cheaper (under $75 max), can be designed in a similar manner that can provide the same function and features and handle the load. I had some lumber (it measured 1.5" thick, 11" wide, and 6' long) that could handle the weight of one of my wheels on the Tahoe for my need 4 months with driving the Tahoe on and off daily, so I am sure this can be done.

Here is a mock drawing of what I am thinking


Or the center cut depth dang near the full 1.5" of the top board to give it more 'cupping' on the upsides of the curve?

With recessed wood screws where needed to keep the two boards attached to each other.



Does this idea sound feasible, cheap, and able to handle the load of one corner?


So does anyone have the proper carpentry tools/equipment to achieve this. Would you be willing to engineer and make this for me? If so, I'd be willing to buy the lumber for you do a set of your own (up to a $75 limit for your set). If you do not want a set, I'd be willing to pay for your time and your use of your tools (cost paid TBD between me and the maker of this).


Thanks

You worry too much. Just do a good burn out to knock the flat spots off, rotate tires and repeat.

X2

You worry too much, just start it up once a week and take it around the block. There wont always be snow on the ground.

What about these or similar. Cheaper than $200

http://www.car-dolly.com/standard

But really I agree that in Oklahoma you will be able to get out and drive it at least once a month in the winter months so I wouldn't worry about it.

Only issue with those David is that he would have to jack the car up and slide them under. Basically the same hassle he was concerned with about putting it on jacks (minus the suspension being unloaded).

Not finding any other alternatives though...

Suspend it from the ceiling

I don't know. I'd probably do these in addition to enclosing it in one of those car bubble thingys. I'd also make sure that the air is purified and at the right humidity (38.5% is optimum).

Now take all of that and put it in an underground bunker. Make sure that bunker is earthquake proof (they've been bad lately). Oh and don't forget the Halon fire suppression system!

Here is a few Google finds.


http://www.discountramps.com/trak-jax-race-ramps.htm

http://www.raceramps.com/trak-jax.aspx

http://www.carrampstore.com/



Actually this is for installing snow chains but I like it allot and is very cheap and curves also.

http://www.awdirect.com/snow-chain-ramps-scr40/tire-chains-and-tools/

I like the Sidewinder idea on carrampstore.com

after a couple deployments and the car sitting for months at a time i can tell you that really you don't have to worry about this. now if you plan on the car sitting in one place on some old bias ply tires then sure you'll have flat spots, but very little chance of this with radial's we have today

My Mach tried to flatspot on the Firestone's it had (and I had bought them brand new in March of 2010, it went down in Sept/Oct of 2010 and sat in my garage until Aaron bought it and had it towed away in spring of 2011). I know this from looking at the tread after it sat for 2 weeks without me rolling it. For my remedy for that situation was to roll the car at least 2 feet every couple of days or so. I didn't do the rolling until I thought about the potential of a flatspot occurring.

So yes it is a concern of mine as I do not plan to drive the car at all until March or so, and to further, it may not be driveable anyways (similar to how my Mach wasn't).

If my ghetto wood beam flatstop idea can be done cheap (under $75 or so), why not do it to make sure I don't get flatspots. Like I said, I cannot justify spending over the $200+ for the real "Flatstoppers".

I think it can be done, just don't have any woodworking tools...

Thanks for the answers all. If anyone would be willing to do, or know of a business that could do (cheaply mind you), please let me know...

I'm in to make some, I don't have any wood tools either, but if somebody on here does I'll supply beer and "entertainment" just got Fern Gully on Blu-Ray!!

Lol. Just drive it once in awhile. 3 months isnt very long anyway. I think you'll be fine.

could do it w/ a jig saw if you put about five 2x4's together. would just have to make sure you cut them all the same

splinters FTW!

I think i just dont understand? Its not a boat in storage thats stuck behind another trailer? Why do you not want to drive it? I would be more worried about it not running now and then, than i would be some tires. Just my opinion, but how hard is it for you to go start it, let it idle and drive around the block once a week/month whatever?

If you want, i will do it for you, i dont have anything fast anymore :(

I guess I'm lost too? We don't live in Alaska

Listen, I don't need to explain my reasoning. It was a simple question. Those with the needed wood working tools (such as a bandsaw, tablesaw, drill press, etc. Whatever is needed to do this project) can this be done from an engineering viewpoint, and can you use them to make this for me (and if you want to make yourself a set I'll buy your lumber (up to a cost), and if not then we can discuss price to charge me for you to do).

You don't have to think the idea is great, nor do have to be able to justify it in your own mind because the winter season isn't always harsh nor that long.

I have my reasons and not one of them is about "not wanting" to drive it.

It honestly won't be hard at all. Easiest way to start would be to get a 4"x12"x10" block of wood and just shave it down.

You will want it to ramp slightly from the front then fall in to a valley that is the exact curvature of your tires.

Hardest part is going to be keeping it from just moving with your car. I have some plastic ramps to make my car 18" off the ground without a jack, and when the concrete gets cold they just scoot along with my front tires. Have to brace them to the wall with a 4x4 to make them not scoot on me.

I have a jigsaw, circular saw, a sawzall, and a few other tools that I can make. Hardest part in conception will be smoothing the ramps and curves so they don't puncture the tires.

what is the radius of your tires?

I've got an idea to keep them from sliding. It just requires tacking a total of 6 2x4's once the car is on the blocks. I'm on OEM 275/40/17 (I don't have the website memorized to calc the radius nor do I mathematically know how to do so). But I *may* need these to be able to handle a size like 305/35/18

African or European tires?

Hey dont get defensive, youve been throwing out all these ideas and opinions. But when we try to help understand your reasons or offer our OPINIONS, you wont listen or dont care.

I never said you were stupid or it was a stupid idea, just giving you crap for not wanting to move your car 10 feet in the next 4 months.

And sorry i cant throw out the smily emoticons to show im joking on my iphone :)

shodown wrote:Hey dont get defensive, youve been throwing out all these ideas and opinions. But when we try to help understand your reasons or offer our OPINIONS, you wont listen or dont care.

I never said you were stupid or it was a stupid idea, just giving you crap for not wanting to move your car 10 feet in the next 4 months.

Chris, and others, no where did I ask for anyone's opinion on should I or should I not drive my car, or how often, etc. Hence why I don't care about your understanding and why I don't care about your opininons of why I'm not going to drive it. I'm not trying to piss you or anyone off, but you all have enough intelligence to read, undertsand, and construct a response. After you read my original post, you should have either thought: I have experience with wood, I can help; or I have the tools he needs to make this; or a combo of the two. I have determined a problem, I may have come up with a way to solve it, but I am no engineer nor do I have to tools to make the resolve. I think a lot and try to find ways to save money with existing ideas. I try to be different and go against the grain, not to cause friction mind you, but to be myself. You and others can think I'm ignorant, an idiot, eccentric, etc., I don't care. You can be my friend or foe, I don't care. I can take a joke with the best of them (provided the rapport is there); I will however not take crap from anyone, I will not always believe what I read or hear, and I will always speak the truth when asked to. My thought process is always of a logical lawyered nature. It's the way I am. I've often been told I should be a lawyer. I don't believe anyone on here has to explain their reasons or rationale unless they choose to. In this case my car isn't moving for a while for my own personal reasons, and you nor no one has to understand or know why.

If you want to just give me crap, then don't beat around the bush, just give it like Nolan did and Paul attemped to do (fail Paul, fail). No need to try to sugarcoat sh!t talking with "why don't you just drive it once a week" or something like that. If you feel the need to call me a puss for not driving it that's fine.

And I'm in the same boat except I'm on a POS HTC with Winders, so no of the smiley thingys here.

Well my rear tires are 275/40/17, so I could definitely get that on my own. 305s are a different story. I think Tyler's Mustang has 305s in the rear, so might ask him to take a side height measurement.

This is definitely doable, just need to source some better tooling. Everything I have is for straight cuts or holes, no for arcs and bends...

And let me reiterate to my previous post:

When I said "you" a lot, I wasn't referring to you specifically Chris. I was referring to people in the club and people in the world in general.


Thanks for the replies to those who tried to find a simlar product but cheaper, and to those gave me the answers I was looking for (and to those who just felt the need to directly joke or talk smack to me). Keep the jokes coming. Life is too short to be serious all the time.

Lee, since you have voiced up, what tool would be needed to cut an arc into a flat stud? A bandsaw?

Does the side height really matter? I mean as long as the arc or bend has a big enough curve for the diameter of the tire, wouldn't that be enough tire spec measurement (in addition to the needed width that I already gave of 305 plus a few inches to accommodate the fact that different brands/styles will not all be the exact same width for the same given size)?

a 13" width should be perfectly fine and would accommodate up to a 315 tire (12.4" wide). Can add extra width if you want to allow the tire to be slightly offcenter so that you aren't constantly double checking when driving it on.

The overall tire height just helps to determine the diameter of the circle you want to cut, which will affect the radius to keep the tire a perfect circle and keep it from trying to form one way or another.

As far as the tool to cut the wood, that's where I am stuck. A bandsaw would do that job, but it's a heavy duty tool that few people I know have. And those that do I haven't talked to in forever and don't know that they even still live where they used to. Also when I have used a bandsaw in the past I never attempted to cut something 4" thick, and there is the chance that you will break the blade.

I know it may sound off, but what about trying to make it out of a fiberglass form? would be a lot easier to make the frame (similar to how you would make a speaker box) and then lay the fleece over it and add your resin and mat to make it durable and able to withstand the weight...