when storing car...(advice please)

[IROCZBeast]

No sense in registering my car now with winter right around the corner. Â*So I'm parking it until it warms up again so probably late march or early april I will register her.

I know obviously to disconnect the battery. Â*Unfortunately I can't keep it in the garage so I'm order a Wolf Automotive cover from summit. Â*

Brand: Wolf Automotive
Product Line: Wolf Block-It Noah Vehicle Covers
Outdoor Use: Yes
Vehicle Cover Material: Noah
Vehicle Cover Color: Gray
Storage Bag Included: No
Grommets Included: Yes
Quantity: Sold individually.

Vehicle Cover, Noah, Gray, Chevy, Camaro, Custom-Fit, Each

Check to make sure this part fits your application
Quality vehicle protection at a value price.
These Wolf Block-It Noah vehicle covers offer the ultimate protective car cover fabric at a value price.

Features include:

* Outdoor or indoor use
* Superior protection from rain, pollution, and snow
* Breathable film layer
* Thick and soft protection from dents, dings, and scratches
* 4 layers: Durable top layers, soft bottom layers



My car has chrome wheels and I really don't want them to be corroded so I'm thinking about putting the car up on jack stands and storing the wheels in my house. Â*Maybe throw black garbage bags over all for disc's to protect them.

Fuel wise, letting the car sit for that long (6-7 monthes) will that destroy the fuel in the car? Â*I know letting it sit for that long will probably cause condensation in the gas tank therefore that means water. Â*Is there like sometype of fluid I can throw in there to preserve it?

Thats all I can really think of. Â*If anyone has any advice on what to do I'd should or should not do really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

,Nick

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/wlf-243-95000.jpg

[enRo]

If it's got my name on it, it's a good cover ;-)

And the fuel thing... my car has 5 year old fuel in it, and it runs a little lean. My neighbor puts Stabil fuel additive in his 68 Camaro 454's tank every october (but he also has it in a garage), and he runs it for 5 minutes every month. I suggest filling the tank, and adding Stabil, then run it for a few minutes to get the Stabil thru the entire system. Also d/c the battery terminal. Maybe someone can chime you in on the wheels, cuz thats not my expertise.

[GP99GT]

for the wheels, i'd get those covers that go over the tires/wheels, and also park it on a tarp or something. Ive heard that if you fill the tank as full as you can, your gas wont go bad, but i'd still throw in some Sta-bil if i were you. id run the car at least once every week, and take it for a quick run up the block and back to keep everything lubed and so the tires dont flat-spot. If youre planning on leaving it sitting for 6 months i'd drain the fluids and take off the wheels.

[Tru2Chevy]

Throw in the bottle of Stabil - then fill the tank. That way it's all mixed. Start the car every other week, and take it for a short cruise around the block once a month or so to get the trans and rear fluid moving around.

The discs are gonna rust up after sitting for even a few days, so there isn't anything that you can do about that. Just get something to put over the wheels.

Make sure the car is parked on a paved/gravel surface (if not, use a tarp).

- Justin

[NJSPEEDER]

one thing to watch out for if teh car will be covered for an extended period of time is condensation. car covers do trap a little bit of moisture where they rest on the car.
when you uncover teh car to run it or take it around the block make sure you wipe off the surface of the paint and the inside of the cover. this will also serve to keep both clean and prevent any grit causing scratches while pulling the cover off and on.

later
tim

[enRo]

one thing to watch out for if teh car will be covered for an extended period of time is condensation. car covers do trap a little bit of moisture where they rest on the car.
when you uncover teh car to run it or take it around the block make sure you wipe off the surface of the paint and the inside of the cover. this will also serve to keep both clean and prevent any grit causing scratches while pulling the cover off and on.

later
tim

I heard waxing the car before storing it for the winter will prevent condensation as well.

[Tru2Chevy]

I heard waxing the car before storing it for the winter will prevent condensation as well.

It won't prevent condensation, but it will help the condensation to bead up and roll off the car. Also is one more step in protecting against scratches.

- Justin

[enRo]

K, i new it had something to do with condensation. Just dont let the car sit for 5 years, I popped off the valve covers and found some amazing dew! :roll:

[IROCZBeast]

thanks for all the in put guys.

I'm going to go look this weekend how much renting a garage at a storage facility would cost me. This way she is in a garage plus its on private property so I'd be able to take her around the complex once a week or so. I really don't want to leave her in my drive way this winter for lots of reasons

I have a little more than half a tank of gas in her right now. Is that to much to through stabilizer in her?

Under last resort and if I do have to leave her in the driveway this is what I think I'm going to do. Through her up jack stands. Take the wheels off store them in my house, cover the discs with bags, diconnect the battery.

Do you think not driving for the six monthes would really kill me in terms of the fluids just chillin? I will start her once a week for 5 minutes or so to let her run.

Maybe I'll go through the gears up on the jack stands :lol: just kiding

thanks again.

,Nick

[Slow Z]

drive it! I drove my car everyday for like 2 years and it looked great ...I started letting it sit in various places (garage, outside, outside covered...) for extended periods of time and everytime I do it starts looking worse :(

[The Fixer]

I wouldn't use a cover. Put a good coat of wax on it, and make sure your family cleans any snow off it nicely (no brooms!). I watched my old '85 SS die from rust, and part of it was because I kept it covered in winter. The moisture from the melting snow was trapped and ate away at the areas that were already in bad shape.

6-months isn't a long time for a car to sit. I would just fill the gas tank, add Stabil, and disconnect the battery. When you are ready to fire it up again in the spring, reconnect the battery, pull the coil wire off so the engine won't fire, and crank it over a few times to let the oil pump prime again. Then reconnect the coil and start it up.

The 305 that is in my '88 SS sat on a stand in my garage for about 7 months after it came out of my '85 SS, and it fired up fine and runs great.

[Ian]

I wouldn't use a cover. Put a good coat of wax on it, and make sure your family cleans any snow off it nicely (no brooms!). I watched my old '85 SS die from rust, and part of it was because I kept it covered in winter. The moisture from the melting snow was trapped and ate away at the areas that were already in bad shape.

6-months isn't a long time for a car to sit. I would just fill the gas tank, add Stabil, and disconnect the battery. When you are ready to fire it up again in the spring, reconnect the battery, pull the coil wire off so the engine won't fire, and crank it over a few times to let the oil pump prime again. Then reconnect the coil and start it up.

The 305 that is in my '88 SS sat on a stand in my garage for about 7 months after it came out of my '85 SS, and it fired up fine and runs great.

If its fuel injected, also pull the fuel pump relay. that way you're not washing the cylinders with gas. It will prevent the cylinder walls from getting scratched because the gas will dissolve the oil and you'll also prevent gas from getting into the oil or having the exhaust fill up with gas.

[89 Trans Am WS6]

The reason you fill the tank up to the top with gas is not because it will keep it from going stale, its because if its filled to the tippy top moisture wont be able to develop and rust the tank from the inside out..

Pour a bottle of stabil..disc the batt and let it sit. wake it up in 6 months. Theres really no reason to start it at all. And starting it and letting it run for 5 mins like the guy with the odl school camaro is even worse. With a motor run that short of time. (esp a carb'd one) all your going to do is get carbon deposits on everything because the motor will never come up to operating temp. Driving a car around a private storage facility complex prolly isnt going to get your temp up either..

My advice fill the tank to the top with the highest octane gas you can find. Add stabil to the fuel too. Find a place to park it, preferably inside a garage. Disc the battery completly and bring it inside. Jack the car up and put it on jackstands if you want..this will prevent the tires from getting flat spots..even though 6 months isnt that long..plus you can then do like alex and carefully clean each wheel while they are off :roll:

dont worry about starting it and running it unless you plan on taking it out on the highway and actually driving it. And remember idling a engine for prolonged periods of time arnt good either.

joe

[IROCZBeast]

well it seems like everyone agrees on one thing and thats filling the gas tank up to the top.

I'm going to look at a storage facility today. Hopefully it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

People seem to have mixed feelings on starting it up once a week. The guy I bought the car from was telling me he had is vette sit in a garage for a year once and all he did was disconect the battery and add stabil.

Most likely if this storage facililty thing works out I'll just park it in there, add some stabil and fill up the tank, disconnect the battery, and throw her up on jack stands and maybe just throw a light cover on her for dust.

All the fluids in the car were just done except for the fluid in the rear so its all basically fresh. Not sure if that really matters.

[Ian]

you know, you dont have to put it up on jack stands. radial tires sont flat spot too easily so having it sit for 6 months isnt going to flat spot them. I had my pickup truck sit for more than 6 months and the tires were fine. But if you really want to put it up on stands, be my guest.

[ar0ck]

When I sorta stored my old T/A for the summer a few years ago, I just lifted the car on blocks and left the wheels on so it was suspensded in the air. So I didnt get any flat spots on the tires. The brakes will rust no matter what you do its just going to happen.

[jims69camaro]

if you are going to put the car in the air, do it with the suspension loaded, as in the jack stands under the suspension, not the body or frame. better than disconnecting the battery is a trickle-charger. filling the gas tank keeps gas on all surfaces so nothing else can get on them (corrosion) and sta-bil is an awesome product.

the engine is sealed up, so you don't have to worry about running it if it'll only be sitting for 6 months. if this turns into an extended project, i would just use an oil primer (or disconnect the fuel pump and coil and crank it) to recoat everything with oil. get a quality car cover, like a california car cover brand, that is multi-layered so it will breath the moisture away. if not, leave it uncovered but with a good coat of wax on her. washing it down with the hose every couple of weeks will keep grit off of her, and taking her to the car wash every three months isn't a bad idea for long term protection against contaminants. if you can afford a car port-type tent, it will keep the acid rain off of the paint. they are pretty resonable at $160, but buy the one without side panels. that's from personal experience (don't ask).