Storage of clasic car?

Wow, 1777 was a good year for the mini. Suggest you do whatever you can to avoid tyranny. Pulling the plugs every week seems unnecessary.

Your "stored" car gets more run time than my primary vehicle.

every cold start is a wear event. every cold start is an oil contamination event. best to put in fresh oil, and leave it alone. i'd also empty the gas tank, but that depends how long you really want to store it.

Personally, I would leave it on the blocks, but I would remove the plugs, squirt some oil in the cylinders, and also put a little down the intake, then turn the engine over a few times and reinstall the plugs. Alternately use a "fogging oil" specifically designed for engine storage, follow the directions on the can. Shove oily rags in the intake and exhaust to prevent ingress of critters. Leave the gas tank full but put a fuel stabilizer in it. (this actually should be the first step; best is to put the stabilizer in and then run the engine for a while to distribute it all the way through the fuel system before beginning the mothballing procedure.)

Provide the car with a climate-controlled storage area. Low humidity, low light, cool but not cold or hot temperatures.

Once the car is mothballed, give it a good coat of wax on all painted and chrome surfaces. Don't even bother to buff it off, just apply it and leave it.

Then do nothing until you are ready to drive the car again.

good luck

nate

you should change, even remove oil before storage. used oil contains acids and detergents which, given enough time stuck in one position, can lead to things like electrolytic corrosion on bearing surfaces, etc.

fresh oil really doesn't have this problem, although if this vehicle were to be stored for another 234 years, i wouldn't want any fluids in it at all.

and something to keep the mice and rodents from nesting in the vehicle and chewing the wires.

For six to eight months all you really need to do it put it on blocks and store it inside somewhere. You'll probably need to charge the battery when you get back. You could do all the other stuff people suggest but about the only other thing I would bother with is the fuel tank fill up and put in stabilizer. Lots of people buy cars that haven't run in 10 years and start them up with very little prep.

I'm kinda worried about the interior, even though it is inside, if it isn't a very controlled environment, like in a house, you may get condensation and mold.

I've seen cars with a big bag of dessicant left inside, but that was storage in a mine, which is damp.

Should we suggest leaving the windows open a crack?

Nils K. Hammer

If you don't have dessicant and there may be temperature swings, I'd leave them open completely - just so long as it is in fact inside and there's no little rodents (or other critters) around that could find their way in.

nate