ADVISE ON BEST WAY OF STORING A VEHICLE?

Add gas stabillizer, remove the battery, jack up the vehicle enough to relieve flat spots, put the car cover on, and do check on the mice.

 

Stupid...with 30 cars?...I don't think so. Keep the tanks full and add stabilizer [extended periods]. Low tanks = moisture...not good. Not sure you have to remove the battery, just the negative [in most vehicles]. If you remove the whole battery mark each connection so you don't foul it up again Keep a trickle charge around so you can attach the night before you anticipate a drive. It's not a good idea to jump some of these cars.

If you drive 30 cars weekly that would be a chore...thats at minimum 4 per day LOL. I try to drive mine at least once every other week until fully warmed and then give it a good workout...once a month might work too.

Hey...I'm in FL...need someone to drive your cars?...it's a full time job

 

Gustan, sounds like you need to do as Malcom Forbes had (and the current principal has) w.his fleet of motorcycles: hire a fulltimer to tend to flock! Friend of mine has that enviable position and all he does is maintain/keep active the fleet and plan the rides they do.

I would keep them on a trickle charger. I think you should install a battery tender terminal (very easy, esp now that you know about terminal polarity ) for easy access so you don't have to get at the batteries of the 20-odd cars that sit a while. Then get a few tender banks w.several tending leads each hit all your cars. http://batterytender.com/product_info.php?products_id=20

As for fuel, the concern is condensation in the tanks which is why you've heard the two seemingly conflicting advises; w.a full tank (very full) there's minimal opportunity for condensation since it can't form in the absence of air (which is why I say 'minimal' since it'd be difficult to fill the tank so fuel touches the top of the tank). In an empty tank it's the same (re: condensation) since there's no substrate. However, it's also difficult to drain a tank completely dry and you still may wind up w.condensation.

Draining is a PITA and you don't want to run it dry since doing so risks gumming up your fuel filter w.bottom-of-the-tank detritus. So you could fill it and Stabil-ize it w.the caveat that unadulterated fuel usu degrades about after 30days and Stabil doesn't indefinitely preserve fuel. If you're rounding the cars at least every 60-90 days I'd go the Stabil-ized full-tank route.

 

Sounds like you need a car tender. Not a battery tender. That many cars require a lot of attention in order to stay in top performance condition.

I'm available weekends and holidays.

Or, make more friends and go for a drive with all your cars driven by your friends at least once a week.

I'm available for that, too.

DM

 

Some good info here

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176756&highlight=winter+storage

And there is another good link within the above thread.

Otherwise my short version.

Over 6 months

Battery tender, (battery completely out if in a place where it can freeze), full premium fuel (non ethanol blend if you can find it), stabil, fresh oil, no random starts unless you can geteverything up to running temp, moisture controll packs inside the car, modern tires don't flatspot....

Under 6 months probably throw a tender on it, full tanks and go... under 6 monts isn't really storage IMO.

Good luck.

 

Gus,

If you do need someone in the Chicagoland area to help tend to your cars...I'm here for you! I'm in Vernon Hills, and would happily help you out for free.

 

Lots of good advice. Only thing I can add is to max inflate your tires because modern tires can flat spot. The cars are shipped here with their tires at max pressure.

 

Modern tyres don't have a 'flat spot' problem, it's the old nylon corded tyres that do. Any 'flat spots' in modern tyres will disappear after driving for a few miles. Also, never store a car with the suspension unloaded (i.e. with the tyres off the ground; the suspension system doesn't like that).

Battery maintainer and full tank of gas is all you need. My mechanic just started my MB which has sat outside in Chicago weather for the past 3 years. He had to install a new battery, and it started with 2 cranks.

Many people don't understand what long-term storage is. It isn't a few months or even 1 year; it's many years!

 

As far as fuel goes, just use the appropriate amount of Stabil, Sea Foam...fuel stabilizer of your choice.

This spring I started using one of my 66 corvettes which had 5-7 year old gas in it. I had stored it with stabil and she started just fine. It did run better when I ran the tank down and added some fresh 91 octane, but it kept for all those years.

Key is to add the right amount...too much and you can have troubles. I believe in the stuff.

 

Believe that. Resist the urge to add 'just a bit more' thinking more MUST be better. Try to add only as much as is called for (I think it may be 2oz/gallon? don't remember).

If the car is to sit more than a few months - despite how few miles since last oil change, as long as it's > 0 - I would recommend changing the oil.

 

As I stated earlier, my MB sat outside with 3 year old petrol (the cheap stuff) and no Stabil. It started like it had been sitting for a day.

Same with my other cars that sit more than driven. I've never used Stabil and probably never will. I did buy a bottle a number of years ago but never used it.

 

I had a jetski that sat two years w.old fuel. Same with a chainsaw. Both started and ran ok. I don't let that happen any more though.

Are you familiar with athersclerosis? Just because your body functions ok w.blood pumped through occluded vessels doesn't mean things aren't festery in there! A car may run ok w.old degraded fuel but that doesn't mean the lines or jets or bowls, etc, are in optimal condition. Not trying to convince you of anything, just raising the point for th OP.

 

The F40 with 150 miles on it probably hasn't been started in 15 years. Most likely after about the second year it probably needed a battery and fluids and other things and didn't start so at that point he just left it alone. Most likely to drive the car all fluids will need to be changed along with anything rubber, belts, hoses etc. Probably have to check the cylinders with a bore scope to see how much rust is on the cylinder walls before trying to crank it.

 

I know what you're saying, but it takes a long time for gasoline to gel. Now diesel fuel, that's a different story!

 

How is it that a guy with over 30 cars hasn't figured out how to store them yet?

 

I tend not to buy the "cars that aren't run suck" line. Metal doesn't degrade just on it's own... the susceptible places are inside the engine. I have vehicles I stored for periods of some years and my process was

-Fill the gas tank to brimming full
-Run some of the gas through the engine, get the stabilizer in the fuel lines
-Pull fuse for fuel pump, let engine die (removes pressure in the fuel lines and empties the fuel rails)
-Pull spark plugs, put a little heavy oil in the cylinders (like Marvel Mystery Oil). Turn over engine with fuel pump fuse out just a few cranks to spread the oil around
-Change the oil *prior* to storage

That was about it. I've rebuilt the motors of cars I've stored this way and never seen any sort of excessive wear to make me reconsider.

Gus, I think if you can drive your car even once every couple of months, you will be OK. Engine oil will still have a thin coating on cylinder walls for a looong time after the motor was last run. In a fuel injected car there really are no carbs to clog up and gas today doesn't go bad like it used to, especially with Sta-bil in it. If you know you will be storing the car for a period of some long months or years, I would do the procedure listed above.

Your attitude about the cars is great - yes they are "just" cars and parts will wear. Don't drive yourself nuts trying to minimize wear... anything that breaks can be fixed, and the only thing that *will* expire with 100% certainty, is YOU, so enjoy them, don't lay in bed fretting over whether they are stored in the absolute best way, do your best to drive them as you can, and always remember they are still mechanical things and will wear and break, and all you can do is delay that or minimize the impact of that