Living in Wisconsin means that I have to go through the storage ritual more
often and longer than I'd like. Here's a list of what I do to put 'em away.
1) Clean everything inside and out including getting the french fries out
from under the seat! the car should look as if its going to be shown at this
point. I also vac out the front fender wells just behind the wheel to get
out the leaves and other stuff.
2) Fill the tank with gas making an effort to stay away from the
reformulated fuels containing ethanol as the ethanol can eat away the white
metal parts in the fuel system. Topping the tank reduces condensation that
can rust it out over time. Then treat the fuel with a gas stabilizer to
keep it fresh. Do not however use Heet in the tank as it is mostly alchohol
and defeats the search for real gas
3) Run/drive the car to operating temp after adding the stabilizer to make
certain the treatment gets into the carbs. Some people will empty out the
carbs but I feel the possibility of the gaskets getting dry and leaking in
the spring is a bigger hassle than the possibility of varnish buildup that
the stabilizer is suppose to prevent.
4) While the car is still hot change the oil and top off the other fluids
making sure that the antifreeze is up to the annual January deep freeze.
5) Every two years I bleed the brake and clutch systems. (assuming I havn't
had to open them up for recent service :) )
6) coat the chrome with paste wax and leave the wax haze on till spring,
then buff it off. I take all the easily removable chrome off the car and
store it in the closet, with my TR4A this means the hubcaps.
7) Take off the good tires and rims and put on a nasty set then let most of
the air out (10 psi +/-) of the good set and store them indoors on thier
sides, I stack mine cause it seems like the thing to do.
8) Drive the car to it's intended storage area putting down a water proof
tarp or plastic sheet down under the car to prevent ground moisture from
rotting the underside. This can be required even if you are using a garage
as some floors are not sealed against moisture. To check for this, tape a
six inch square of plastic down on the floor making sure that the square is
taped all around it's perimiter and let it sit for a few days. If it's
moist underneath the test patch, put down the plastic. If the car is to be
stored outside invest in a breathable car cover for the topside. Poly tarps
only trap the moisture in with the car often wrecking the paint and adding
to the rust problem, the same goes for waterproof canvas tarps.
9) Park the car on the tarp and spray fogging oil into the carbs per
instructions on the can, this is more effective than putting a teaspoon of
oil down each spark plug hole but in a pinch that will work also.
10) At this stage the car will not be running since the fogging oil was
sprayed into the carbs, per instructions, until the car stalled.
11) Reinstall the air filters making sure that you use te kind of elements
with a wire mesh around them, better paper filters come with this mesh
around the outside of the element. If yours are the mesh type oil bath
filters there is no need to worry. Do whatever it takes to keep the mice
out of the intakes!
12) Pack the tailpipes with steel wool to keep the mice out of the exhaust end.
13) Remove the battery and store it inside if you can. Do not however put
it directly on a cement floor, put it on a couple of 2x4 scraps instead.
14) Cover the car and your done!
During the winter resist the urge to start the car and warm it up,
while this will make the engine hot it will not reach it's normalized
temperature and only undoes other steps taken preserve the vehicle. The
resting beloved will make it just fine through the season!
Real gas (alochol free) can still be had at Mobil stations and gas
stabilizer along with fogging oil can be obtained at hardware stores, small
engine shops and marinas.
Some people recommend mothballs to drive away mice, the word on this
is that the naptha balls don't work but the other kind do. I can't recall
what the active ingrediant is in the alternate formulation is however. I
dont use them because they drive me away also!
This might seem like a lot of work but in reality only takes a
Saturday. If you want to really go over the top you can start a "ground up"
restoration and hide it all under the bed like I did with my Dodge!
Hope this helps and if there's anything I missed, feel free to drop me a line!
Jim Kalupa, Madison Wi
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