Anything special need done to store a car for 6-8 months?

[Kitty]

Hey guys, not having much luck finding a home for Marvin so I'm considering storing him until next spring when I can come back and trailer him up there with me. Maybe turn him into a project car and give him all the spiffing up and customizing he deserves. So I'm looking at probably 6-8 months (maybe a little more depending on how soon full Spring hits up there) of storage. Likely I'll just tarp him up tight and leave him with a friend for that time. Do I need to do anything special for that amount of time? Will I need to drain his gas tank and oil and such? I figure I should probably disconnect the battery. Anything else beyond that?

Thanks!
Kitty

[TominMO]

Fill the gas tank and put fuel stabilizer in it, or drain the tank, either one,
Change the oil and filter.

[GenevaDirt]

I was going to say the same thing as Tom....but also...if you can get it off the tires.....like up on jack stands...I would.

[Grey Vw]

Also if your going to store it in a place that has outlets I'd say get a battery tender for it. Their only a few bucks at Harbor Freights.

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Definitely, FILL THE TANK with fuel. That displaces air, which holds moisture, which condenses on the tank walls and leads to corrosion (rust). Small airplanes fill up after the last flight of the day for the same reason, but also for an additional reason -- the moisture will fall to the bottom of the tank and get into the fuel lines, which could lead to an "Aw, crap" moment right after takoff as the engine gulps water.

Also, put a block of wood under each wiper arm to take the pressure off the wiper blades so they don't take a "set." Ever since I started doing this on Festies I'm not currently driving, my wiper blades last MUCH longer.

Some people also wire up an extension cord to a 40 watt light blub inside the car and/or under the hood. That keeps it slightly warmer, warding off condensation. It also might prevent some bozo from breaking into your car, since he thinks you're living in it! It helps to cover the car in a blue tarp, so doesn't know you're not really in there. You neighbors will appreciate this cosmetic touch.

[TominMO]

If you can't put the car on jackstands, at least fill the tires to max pressure on the sidewall; hopefully they hold air well. As an alternative to jackstands if you don't have any, put cinder blocks, boards, etc. under the car at the four jacking points, so it will only settle a couple of inches, and take the strain off a flat tire.

[bhazard]

Seafoam in a full tank of gas.

[Damkid]

I honestly don't do anything special when storing a car for any length of time, because chances are my cars don't sit for any longer then 6 months

[DrMaxwellEdison]

Yes that's definitely a must! get Marvin off his tires asap if that's what you plan to do

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Two years ago, I let an almost-new $25,000 360 cubic inch 4-cylinder aluminum airplane engine sit for 3 months. After that, it just wouldn't run right. We looked inside (boroscope) and saw rust everywhere. It was so bad that it cost $16,000 to have it repaired, which involved new pistons, camshaft, and valves, and honing of the cylinders (where rust still shows as stains deeply embedded into the metal, but it's considered airworthy). Fortunately, the crankshaft and the case (two halves like in old air-cooled VWs) were OK.

I try to run my not-in-service Festies every few weeks for a half-hour to get them up to operating temp and bake some of the moisture out. I also run the heater and the a/c for a bit. If I have time, I drive them up a hill and ride the brakes down to have the shoes/pads take the rust off the drums and rotors. Ground-up shoes and pads are easier/cheaper to replace than drums and rotors.

[FestYboy]

also while you're at it, hose down all the nooks and crannies of your car's undersides with PB Blaster. it will work on all the rust and prevents NEW rust while it sits so that when you're ready, things come apart much easier.