Patrick
You don't need heated storage but it's nice if you want to work on the car
over the winter. The car blanket will only collect settling dust.
If you plan to leave it there all winter, remove the battery and store it
someplace warm but not directly on a concrete floor. Put a trickle charger
on it occasionally.
Pull the plugs and squirt some 10/30 into each cylinder. Replace the plugs.
In the spring do this again but leave the plugs out and crank it over on the
starter until you have oil pressure. Then install plugs and start. (It will
smoke a bit at first)
Check antifreeze. if two or more years old, reverse flush, and replace with
new, to a mixture appropriate to your climate. (50/50 is good for about -40
C)
Put in fresh oil and filter (Old is full or contaminants) and run engine
until warm to fully flush old oil from the internal surfaces.
Put the top up and do up all snaps, otherwise it will shrink.
Check tire pressures.
Some people put blocks under the frame which others say will "hang" the
wheels and stretch the springs, others don't. Good idea to have enough room
to roll the car a few inches occasionally to relieve standing pressure on
the wheel bearings. (Could be an "old mechanics tale" but it won't harm
anything.)
One guy I know slackens off the fan belt to relieve pressure on the water
pump and gen/alt bearings. Up to you but if you do, leave a note to yourself
to remind you to tighten it in the spring.
Set a few mouse traps around the garage to "discourage" nesters.
Go out to the garage once a month and press the brake and clutch pedals a
few times. Also (if you didn't slacken the belt) grab the fan and turn the
engine a 1/4 turn or so occasionally. (Just so the rings aren't sitting in
the same "set" for a long time.) Again, this may not be necessary but won't
hurt.
That should about do it.
Cheers
Don
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