storage question

#3. For longer periods, a combination of #2 and #3 work well.

--------------------------

If you wish to prolong the life of the tires, it's probably a good idea to get them up off the ground for extended storage. I have never actually had a tire specifically go bad from sitting on the ground under the weight of a car for a long period, but... finally tires have a life anyway, they will eventually dry rot, etc, no need to try to keep old tires perfect forever. I would not want to drive a prized car with very old tires on it anyway, regardless of their seemingly new appearance... just imagine what might happen if the tire blows at 60 mph, might take out the fender, etc... not worth it... always keep the tires relatively fresh. So with this in mind, unless the car is really going to sit for two years or more solid on a set of brand spankin' new tires, it may not be worth jacking it up. If you do keep the tires on the ground, just be sure they remain properly inflated. Over time they will lose air, so mark it down on your calendar... even month or so, just check and adjust the pressure. Also, if you want to be fussy, roll the car a foot or two every month so that the tires are not always resting on the exact same spot.

As for the suspension: well, it makes sense that it is probably a good thing for the springs if you take the weight off them during long-term storage. Of course when you use a car regularly, the weight of the car is always on the springs anyway. Like with tires, springs have a life too... probably not so critical to take the weight off them, but if it makes you feel better, jack it up... but...

If you jack the car up from the frame so that the wheels hang down, the shocks become fully extended and you fully expose the center shock shafts. This can be bad in humid locations since the shafts may develop rust pits... then when you put the car back on the ground, the pits will quickly eat up the seals and you'll probably need new shocks. But again, like tires and springs, shocks have a life and need to be replaced eventually anyway, so... can't get too nuts about these things.

My one bad experience storing a car... I put a car in a friend's garage over the winter, garage seemed fine. I checked on the car throughout the winter, garage was dry, car was doing fine. But once the summer came, the dark closed garage became super damp and humid inside. I did not realize this until it was too late... I had been away on vacation during the summer... I came back and the car was covered in mildew, the stench was unbearable, there was stuff growing on the dashboard and all over the place, etc. I severely scrubbed the car inside and out and let it air out in the sun for weeks with the doors and windows wide open... there is still a trace of the mildew smell. I guess to clean it right, the whole interior will need to be fully disassembled and each component (rug, seats, door panels, etc) heavily washed out of the car, individually, inside and out. Anyway, point is, pay close attention to ventilation, humidity etc at your storage location. This is a simple factor that is often overlooked. In a perfect world, you'd have a dehumidifier or air conditioner to keep the relative humidity below say

70%... but since that is costly and somewhat impractical, just make sure to have good ventilation in any case, and having some daylight enter the garage is better than keeping it pitch black where stuff loves to grow.

1.)leave it as is, resting on the tires

2.)put it on blocks by supporting it on the frame so that the wheels are hanging and extending the suspension, or

3.)same as above but support it on the suspension so that wheels are at the normal position and the springs are not extended

So Bob says:

"#3. For l "If you wish to prolong the life of the tires, it's probably a good idea to get them up off the ground for extended storage. .....the suspension: well, it makes sense that it is probably a good thing for the springs if you take the weight off them during long-term storage....."

I say: It must not make any difference at all based on this information.

It does matter, but it wasn't fully explained.

For all storage, it's best to have the tires off the ground

For short periods - say less than 6 months - it won't really matter if the suspension is compressed or extended. For longer periods, I would take some of the weight off the suspension, but not just let it hang there. Support the frame with jack stands, and support the suspension - slightly compressed - with blocks of wood. If it's a damp environment, place some plastic or rubber sheets at the contact points so you don't wick moisture. Someone else mentioned a coating of oil or grease on the chrome shock rods to prevent pitting and corrosion.

OK, I guess that clesrs that up. All I need now is an '05 stang. I owned a '70 mach1 for 16 years that I sold in 1990 and I got the bug again big time for the new model. IMO this is the best design since 1970!