5 Month storage

[Walter F.]

I have a C4 and my brother a 57 Ford Fairlane 500 coupe. We use our cars from late spring till late fall. Both cars are stored in unheated garages and stabil is put in the fuel tanks and the cars are covered with a car cover and a trickle charger is placed on the battery. We both live in New York and the winters are cold and wet. Is this enough care for a 5 month storage or should other measures be taken ? Should the cars be started and run at idle during that 5 month period?

[Harry S.]

Re: 5 Month storage

Walt, I have parked my two 63's for 16 years with just stabil in the tank and carb. All I do is cover them up and let them sit from November to April with the battery disconnected. Not a problem..

[Patrick H.]

Re: 5 Month storage

Same here, but I put plastic on the floor to try and minimize any condensation that seems to occur due to the cold floor if there is a more humid day.

[John H.]

Re: 5 Month storage

I have a C4 and my brother a 57 Ford Fairlane 500 coupe. We use our cars from late spring till late fall. Both cars are stored in unheated garages and stabil is put in the fuel tanks and the cars are covered with a car cover and a trickle charger is placed on the battery. We both live in New York and the winters are cold and wet. Is this enough care for a 5 month storage or should other measures be taken ? Should the cars be started and run at idle during that 5 month period?

Walter -

Nope, don't start them unless you're going to drive them at least 10-15 miles; just leave them alone and start them in the Spring. Seals don't "dry out".

[Doug Y.]

Re: 5 Month storage

I have used carpeting on the floor from my friends renovation and keep heater at 60 degrees. I dont start car until spring. Its -22 here at moment

[Duke W.]

Re: 5 Month storage

Five months is not very long. You don't need Stabil or any other fuel additive - the colder the storage temperature the less propensity for the fuel to oxidize and form gum... just fill the tank with fresh fuel before storage and air up the tires to at least 35 psi.

Oil changes should always be done before storage. IF the oil is still clean - say no more than a few hundred miles since the last change - it's okay to go a couple of years, but cars without PCV systems will contaminate the oil faster than PCV equipped engines, so more frequent changes may be in order - at least once a year.

There are zillions of "winter storage" threads in the archives.

Duke