Winter projects are typically reserved for those that require a lengthy period of time to complete. Our hot rods go into hibernation mode and the upgrades we’ve been hoarding parts for are set underway.

This typically means the cars we’re referring to won’t be driven for a long while. As such, it’s important to take everything into consideration when prepping a vehicle for long storage – especially the fluids. Enter Driven Racing Oil.

We found ourselves in this exact scenario recently. Project Snake Eyes, our 1972 Monte Carlo street/strip build, was going under the knife for a whole host of upgrades, including a supercharger from TorqStorm. Suffice to say, we knew the car was going to be down for a long time, so we decided to change the oil beforehand in preparation for storage.

Driven Racing Oil’s HR-2 Conventional Hot Rod 10w-30 made sure the 383ci in our Monte Carlo was good all winter long. When our project was ready to come out of hibernation, we reached for the same bottle.

Many of you might ask, why change the oil before you store it? Well, we’re glad you did!

We used Driven Racing Oil’s HR-2 10W-30 Conventional Hot Rod oil. HR-2 has a multitude of benefits that make it superior to many other name-brand oils for our application. For example, it comes with storage protection additives that guard against rust and corrosion during periods of storage. Not only that, but it also sports a multi-grade formula that gives any engine excellent start-up protection. That goes for engines equipped with a flat-tappet, overhead, or roller cams.

Not to mention the fact that it doesn’t require the use of any ZDDP additives, and the viscosity is still consistent with other 10W-30s on the market.

Back to the Monte. We installed a cheap fuel cell we got from eBay and plumbed new fuel lines. The fuel is fed through an entirely new fuel system from Quick Fuel Technology including a billet bypass regulator, 160gph fuel pump, pre- and post-pump filters, and an 850CFM blow-thru carburetor.

We changed the oil before the long storage and again after we broke in the new supercharger. This ensured a smooth operation and takes care of us for the next time we have a long project.

The ignition system was also upgraded with a new HEI distributor and boost retarding ignition box From Holley (6BTM). We added a new fuse and relay panel to accommodate some of the added circuits, which we wired the new fuel pump and ignition box to. We also simplified the factory wiring harness by de-pinning and re-pinning it with only the necessary wires. Since we were cleaning and upgrading the electrical system already, it made sense to mount a remote starter relay in the engine bay as well.

While we were working in the rear of the car, we took some time to add a remote fuel filler on the sail panel of the Monte and relocated the battery and master cut-off switch to the trunk.

And, of course, we bolted up the new supercharger from TorqStorm which required us to relocate and connect several vacuum lines.

You’re probably asking why all of those upgrades necessitated an oil change beforehand. Well, all of those upgrades and changes took quite a bit of time. If you’re anything like us, you put in long hours at the work and reward yourself by tinkering in the garage on nights and weekends. This means little projects take much longer than if you were able to see them through start to finish, all in one go.

Factoring in parts store runs, waiting for the delivery truck to bring internet purchases, and actually doing, undoing, and redoing all of the work mentioned above meant our Monte was down for months.

The final step was to officially add Driven Racing Oil to our sticker-bombed fuel cell. Everyone knows stickers amount to 10+ horsepower, guaranteed!

We’re happy to report that after months of waiting, we fired up Snake Eyes. There was nary a hiccup, and not so much as a small lifter tick. We haven’t put many miles on it since all the work was done, but in the time we’ve been driving it, there has been no noticeable noise from the valvetrain, and we’re thoroughly glad we chose to use Driven Racing Oil’s HR-2.

If you’re in the market for an oil that doesn’t require any additives, protects your engine against corrosion during long periods of storage, provides a quiet valvetrain, and ensures a longer engine life, give Driven Racing Oil a look. You can find out more about its HR-2 Conventional Hot Rod oil, and every other type on the Driven website, here.