Rode hard and put away wet. That seems to be the normal way we store our most precious possessions. Cars, that is. Putting your baby away for the winter and thawing her out in spring takes more than just a fresh tank of petrol if you want her to survive another season.
You might be storing your car or an engine for any number of reasons: weather, money, waiting for the body shop guy to pull your number, money, divorce, more money, or you just got tired of it for a while. Whatever the impetus, paying attention up front and doing a little work on the back end will save time and cash when it comes time to fire the old girl up again.
Warm in her cocoon she rests....
Warm in her cocoon she rests. With jackstands supporting the car, these tires won't go square and a good car cover protects the hand-rubbed paint from belt buckles, jacket zippers, kids, and dust.
There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before putting your project in mothballs. The most important of which is how long you are putting it up. If it's just for a few months or over the winter, you'll want to at least go over the basics.
Prep your storage area first. Make sure you aren't going to run into any issues where you need to move your car or engine to get to something important. If that means buying some new storage racks at Harbor Freight to make room where you don't use the car itself as a warehouse, so be it. Tell your spouse PHR made you do it.
Make sure you have plenty of antifreeze in the system even if you don't live in northern climes. Straight water in your system will turn good metal into rusty goo, and even Florida residents get an occasional freeze plug-popping cold wave now and then.
Fact: Mice like carpet padding. It's no fun seeing half of your interior converted to a condo for cheese feeders. Throwing your car on tall jackstands will help to keep the rodents from jumping inside. Don't forget a rag in the tailpipe and the air inlet as well. Now, leave a checklist on your dash so you remember what you did!
Pulling the ground lead off...
Pulling the ground lead off the battery fends off corrosion and hooking it up to a low amp charger or tender should keep the battery fresh for its next use. A quick cleaning of the posts before hooking it back up keeps the blue-green corrosion bulldog at bay.
Charge the battery fully before doing anything. Changing the oil and checking the air filter, tranny fluid, brake fluid, and coolant come next. A quick leak check under the car will point out any real trouble spots.
Smell the gas. Pungent varnish odor equals bad gas. No matter how good the rest of the car is, if the gas is bad you'll need to flush the whole fuel system before firing it up. If the gas smells decent, pouring in a bottle of water remover sure wouldn't hurt.
Prime the oil system, fill the carb bowls with a little gas from a squirt container, and hit the key. She should fire right up if everything is right and the stars are in alignment. Now it's time to remove the top layer of dried-out rubber on your tires by means of a long smoky burnout. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
Yeah, we usually think lawn...
Yeah, we usually think lawn mowers too, but fuel stabilizer will do great in your gas tank at keeping your $4-a-gallon gas from turning to varnish. Fill the tank to the brim with good quality gas before storage to keep rust away.
Valvesprings that remain compressed...
Valvesprings that remain compressed over a long period of time will take a set and drop some spring pressure. If you are storing a car or engine for several months or more, back the rockers off completely to make sure the springs are fresh for the next running.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic,...
Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture. The result is water and rust in the brake system. When getting your ride ready to go, bleed the brakes thoroughly until fresh clean brake fluid comes out of the bleeder screws.
A good fogging oil like the...
A good fogging oil like the stuff from AMSOIL sprayed in the cylinders will keep the bores from rusting. Also, don't be afraid to apply another dose and rotate the engine over by hand several times before firing it up.
When you yank the spark bolts...
When you yank the spark bolts to fog the cylinders, you can make a quick assessment of the engine condition. Is it using oil, eating pistons, or running perfectly? You might be doing a winter rebuild based on how they look. Either way, throw in a fresh set when she's ready to run again to avoid running down the battery trying to fire fouled plugs.
If the engine has been sitting...
If the engine has been sitting for an extended amount of time, it would be a good idea to run a leakdown test. Almost 30 percent leakdown on this engine is a sign the rings are done.
A cheap antifreeze tester...
A cheap antifreeze tester will show the strength of the mixture quickly. Over time, the coolant becomes acidic and can start to eat away at your engine parts, especially aluminum cylinder heads and water necks.
Even though the coolant tested...
Even though the coolant tested "good," the rusty color and nastiness in the radiator scream "flush me!"
An old distributor from the...
An old distributor from the junkyard can easily be converted into an oil system primer. With fresh AMSOIL and a new filter in place, run the primer for at least a solid minute, and then crank the engine over with the primer running. This will ensure that the bearings and lifters don't immediately die when you fire it up.
Covered in dust and used as...
Covered in dust and used as a workbench, this '36 will need a good amount of work before she can bebop down the road again. A little effort spent before putting it in the corner would have saved a bunch of time and money in the end.