Winter Storage Questions

For the past 7 years I've stored my '59 pickup in my own Garage over the winter, and know that it's 100% weatherproof and (more importantly) critter proof. Also, since I walk past it everyday I've been able to keep an eye on it and start it up once a month or so.
I brought another project home, so I've moved the PU to a friends mother's house and will be storing it in her unused 3rd stall of her attached garage. It's also weather proof, but it's not going to be as warm as my garage was (BTW I'm located in Michigan), and since it's an older home, the garage door, although secure from unwanted humans might not be 100% secure from small critters (mice and chipmunks).
Never having stored the vehicle "off-site" before, I want to be sure I don't end up with animals making nests in or under the seats over the winter, and having the hoses chewed up.
What are the best things to do to protect the vehicle from animal damage over the winter?
I've heard mothballs, but I don't want the vehicle to smell like mothballs all next summer if I can avoid it.
Also, at home, I just leave the Battery Tender attached to it, I could do that here as well, but I could also just pull the battery and bring it home (possible damage from getting to cold there?).
Any and all advice is appreciated.
thanks,
Randy

My brother keeps rat poison under his truck for the winter and he never has any trouble. But if your friends mother has a cat that might not be a good thing to do. I would pull the battery and take it home if it were mine.
Good Luck.

Storage of my boat and travel trailes used dryer sheets in them to keep critters out

You might consider what some RV & boat people use - Simple Way to Keep Pesky Critters Out of your RV, Camper, Boat or Vehicles in Storage | Critter Repellent Blog Or maybe visit a local RV place and see what they recommend? My parents lived out in the country, and the mice in their attached, unheated garage chewed through wire insulation under the hood of their nearly new Buick one winter.... Cost them a bunch to get the damage fixed.

I use moth balls. I know it's old school, but it works for me and the last time I checked, I am old school.

Serious though, I live in the rural country area, we have mice, rats, squirrels, you name it. I split a box of moth balls placing them under my car at the front and rear (year round). Been doing this for several years and no mice or rats in the garage until the moth balls get low. And, I don’t notice any odor inside my car from it.

To keep my pets out of them I place the moth balls in clear plastic containers that I have cut vents in the tops (can see when there low), they last a couple months.

I've seen mice use the dryer sheets as bedding! But they smell nice!

i go with mothballs also
scatter them around under the camper.

Mine stay out at the farm in Grandpa's barn----along with a dozen or so cats that make it their winter home!!!!!!!


Mothballs about as good as anything, if there's no chance of domesticated critters getting in there, a few strategically place portions of mice poison helps, too!

I put downy drier sheets in my in bed pick up camper and the mice may come in but they do not eat anything or stay. I use them heavy though. I put these in my 40 for 2 winters and the winter I didn't those SOB's had a feast! I've also been told get real vanilla and put some on your carpet and or seats if you have dark upholstery. I guess the vanilla really works! I've also went to Menards and got critter and rat repellant and spread it around the perimeter of where the car is stored to try to detour any pests. The best thing for your battery is probably to take it with you. Serves 2 purposes. Slows any thieve down, and your battery has a better chance in the life department.

Nobody has mentioned this but in the spring when you start it critters move into your exhaust system and make a mess. Experience!

I didn't even think about the exhaust pipes! Good one!

Personally though, I don't think I'll have that problem as mine never sets long enough for anything to get established in the exhaust.

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Originally Posted by 36 sedan

...I live in the rural country area, we have mice, rats, squirrels, you name it...

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What! No chipmunks?

Based on what I'm reading above, I think I'm going to try dryer sheets wrapped around those giant sized mothballs along my perimeter, and for those special op's critters that get past my perimeter defense I'll have a few additional areas seeded with poison.

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Originally Posted by cffisher

Nobody has mentioned this but in the spring when you start it critters move into your exhaust system and make a mess. Experience!

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That's a really good point! I've got a Buick 400 that is seized from mouse urine. I've also torn other engines down that had mouse phesis and urine in them and the damage was 10x worse than just water. It's nuts!

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Originally Posted by Hot Rod Nick

What! No chipmunks?

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The Bobcats and Cougars like them.

^ I've dated some cougars and even though they seem to be especially brave with men, most of them are still sort of terrified by mice. I put the old classic "Of Mice and Men" back on my "read again" list to see if there is some symbolic insight into this recent sociological phenomenon.

I forgot to add that my new garage being built will have a "man cave" including half decent sleeping quarters so I might consider hiding a cougar in there since my wife has never set foot in our garage.

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Originally Posted by Hot Rod Nick

I forgot to add that my new garage being built will have a "man cave" including half decent sleeping quarters so I might consider hiding a cougar in there since my wife has never set foot in our garage.

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You are a brave man! To even type that has now set into motion a series of events that, well..... Your future should prove interesting! :LOL::LOL::LOL:

Nick, if you have my luck she'd walk in the first day you had your new cougar friend and you'd be well on your way to divorce court. :LOL:

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Originally Posted by Hot Rod Nick

^ I've dated some cougars and even though they seem to be especially brave with men, most of them are still sort of terrified by mice.

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They seem to really like chipmunks, devouring them on sight. But it's OK, I really don't mind have a cougar eat my chipmunk.

Mothballs work inside the vehicle. But there is a good way to rid your space of mice before they bother your vehicle. An acquaintance of mine has a cabin in northern Michigan, and he came up with a rather ingenius way to take care of mice that would inevitably work their way into the cabin during the fall and winter. He took a five-gallon plastic bucket and rigged a metal rod and an aluminum that attached on top of the bucket. He then placed an inch of anti-freeze in the bottom. Mice would be attracted to the anti-freeze, and when they jumped onto the can, it spun them into the bottom of the bucket, and the anti-freeze does the rest. Several other guys on the RRT have constructed their own versions of his device and claim it works very well.

I just saw a fat mouse run under my tool box yesterday and I do believe I'm going to give this a try! Stupid mice!

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Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

I just saw a fat mouse run under my tool box yesterday and I do believe I'm going to give this a try! Stupid mice!

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Well, if it's a fat mouse... don't make those ramps to steep or else it'll just be a tease!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::p:LOL:

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Originally Posted by 34_40

Well, if it's a fat mouse... don't make those ramps to steep or else it'll just be a tease!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::p:LOL:

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I bet if I put another $350 Cummins repair manual in thetool box again, those SOB's will be in there like yesterday! :LOL: It's amazing the tiny places those pecker heads squeeze into!

They say if you can get a nickel in they can get in. We get them chip monks in the shop at times but there is nothing in there for them to eat so they don't stick around. Anti freeze is in a pan under the bench just incase they need a drink.

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Originally Posted by Hot Rod Nick

I forgot to add that my new garage being built will have a "man cave" including half decent sleeping quarters so I might consider hiding a cougar in there since my wife has never set foot in our garage.

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Why not invite your wife to pet the cougar with you?

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Originally Posted by 36 sedan

Why not invite your wife to pet the cougar with you?

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Here Kitty Kitty Kitty...:eek::eek::eek::LOL::LOL:

LOL! You know we are evil......

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Originally Posted by 36 sedan

LOL! You know we are evil......

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Wellllll..... maybe a little naughty! :LOL::LOL::LOL:

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Originally Posted by 36 sedan

Why not invite your wife to pet the cougar with you?

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Maybe some adult beverages before you ask the question are in order? :LOL:

Sorry I've been tied up ...errr I mean busy. But thanks for all the great suggestions ;)

I've seen that bucket with a ramp and spinning can work pretty good. Earlier today in work one of the guys said he sees an unusually large number of dead mice along his jogging trail and was wondering why and another guy, sounding authoritative, claimed that some poisons make them want to come out in the open for relief. Wonder what that could be? I had bad experience with poisoned mice hiding in walls, dying, and then stinking the place up for a few days unless I wanted to rip out part of the wall...don't want to do that in the garage.

Thanks for all the reply's...I ended up using a 2 pronged strategy...I ordered some of the Critter repellant referenced in one of the earlier posts, they included a bunch of little nylon sleeves that you tie off one end, fill it and then tie off the other end and end up with a little golf ball sized nylon bag of their repellant...I ended up making about 20 of those balls and hanging them with zip ties at different places on the truck...4 or 5 in the engine compartment, two or three under the seats, two or three under the dash, one in the glove box, and one in the end of each of the exhaust pipes...has kind of a strong peppermint smell that supposedly all small animals and rodents do not like.
Also took 4 small Rubbermaid containers and punched 3-4 holes in the lid and put about 6-10 moth balls in each and put them under the four corners of the vehicle...finally took the "critter-away" stuff and sprinkled a perimeter all around the vehicle.
I'll let you know how it works next spring.

It sure sounds like you should be good to go!