How long can a car stay in garage if temps drop below freezing

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I lost a 440 block one night. Brought it back from the Saturday night races in the fall and the temp dipped into the high 20's. Just that night... Warmed up on Sunday. I had drained the radiator at the track but not the block. I was going to do it when I got home, it was dark, I was tired and forgot. The car sat outside on the trailer.

Ruined a good block.

Just telling my experience.
 
You are nuts! How bad do you want to build a new engine? Drain it, put in a heater, do something beside asking on the Internet, that won't save it.

Buddy broke a real 426 hemi after racing one October night got lazy, never drove the car again. Freeze cracked it.

You play Russian roulette for kicks too?
 
Got an oscillating ceramic 1500 watt heater i am going to put on it, should do it, plus its not sitting outside, so should stay above freezing in the bay pretty easily i would think
 
Up here,we dont mess around.
I do know the fine line is -5 celcius,about 24 f. Thats as low as i would trust it. I didnt think anybody in their right mind would risk cracking an engine block over 10 bucks worth of anti-freeze. The countless times i have heard about pressure washers, inboard boat engines and water pumps breaking as it got just a touch to cold before owner could deal with it.
That being said,uninsulated wall next to a heated structure should prevent it from freezing. A 50 watt bulb hung in a safe spot under car should generate enough heat.
1500 watts heats a 10x16 insulated room in -40 temps.
 
I ruined a 318 in a 1970 dart in 1985 when I was 13 just starting to collect mopars on a lawn cutting salary... got the car for $50 only needed a freeze plug...popped one in filled up with water cause was cheap and dumb ..around Feb temps hit 18° busted water jacket around freeze plug I had just replaced...WTF...live and learn
 
Just got this moving today after a 30 year sleep from a cracked block.......ya, I know! :) But that was the cause.

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Back when people actually had well houses, a light bulb is all it took to keep it from freezing. Go to tractor supply and get a heat lamp for chickens.
If it were my car it would have antifreeze in it or drain it empty. Not worth taking a chance on.
 
Just went back to the shop(11 at night). Walked in that bay, bet its 50 in there, 33 outside. Was 69 inside the showroom, obviously some of that heat seeps through the one common wall.
Lot warmer than i thought it would be, way warmer than outside. Put a heater in there anyhow, just to be sure.
 
I think you should sell the car to me. I will park it my garage where it will never get to freezing.
 
Back when people actually had well houses, a light bulb is all it took to keep it from freezing. Go to tractor supply and get a heat lamp for chickens.
If it were my car it would have antifreeze in it or drain it empty. Not worth taking a chance on.


I tried that one year. No more. Not sure if it’s the size of our well house or what, but two bulbs didn’t keep that from freezing up. I got lucky and it didn’t kill a pipe, but I no longer play with that fire. I put a heater out there.
 
I think you should sell the car to me. I will park it my garage where it will never get to freezing.

it normally sits on a hardwood floor dealer showroom all winter, perfect 68 degree conditions.Because i painted under the hood and had taken the old motor out last fall, i put it in the bay. Too hard to get it inside not running.
Put new motor in last weekend, waited( i thought) till cold nights were over... i goofed by a few days....
 
You are nuts! How bad do you want to build a new engine? Drain it, put in a heater, do something beside asking on the Internet, that won't save it.

Buddy broke a real 426 hemi after racing one October night got lazy, never drove the car again. Freeze cracked it.

You play Russian roulette for kicks too?

That could have been me --lol.
I drained the water out of my hemi after racing was over one year, and forgot to drain the block , when I went to start it the next spring , it had cracked the block on both sides between the freeze plugs , and didnt shove a plug out .
I spent my only weeks vacation at the time metal locking it on the tailgate of my truck , the hemi is alive and well to this day .
 
Well, i used that trick with my old outside dog..... Hung a lightbulb in her doghouse, and sealed the door with an old truck innertube with a slit in it. She never froze, or even got too cold. It was the funniest thing ever to see her pop her head out and look around after a big overnight snowstorm, and then pop back in to a long winters nap!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Did the same thing camping on weekend up my buddies place in the mountains.
It gets dark on top the mountain, so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face.
So this camping trip I brought my generator, and strung up some common automotive drop lights in the camp, to see the outhouse in the middle of the night.
This camping trip, my daughter came with me, and we slept in my enclosed cargo trailer, I placed one of the drop lights in the trailer for heat, it worked, woke up the next morning warm, with a light dusting of snow over everything.
I asked my daughter if she got cold, she said not in the trailer, but the outhouse was really cold, when she had to go in the middle of the night.
 
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