Storing Your Classic Car

When fall rolls around, many car enthusiasts and especially those in the northern climes, begin thinking about putting their classic rides away for the winter. If you live in an area where it snows, sleets or hails in the colder months, retiring a restored vehicle for the season makes perfect sense. However, there are a number of things to do to prepare your car for hibernation before you lock the doors and walk away for a few months. If you want to be able to start the engine and drive the car again next spring, you’ll need to prep it properly in order to avoid the hassles of a dead battery, flat tires, contaminated fuel and maybe even a family of rodents living under the hood.

Before you store your car, it is a good idea to tend to any minor repairs and maintenance issues so that your car is in tip-top shape when you pull it out of storage later. You will obviously need to thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the car, but changing the oil is probably the first thing to do, as you don’t want the car to sit for months with contaminated oil in the crankcase. You will also want to get the steering and suspension components fully lubricated because a lube job will help keep your suspension from drying out while the car’s in storage.

Start with changing the oil and filter, and don’t forget to add a fuel stabilizer like Sta-bil to your gas tank before filling it up for storage. Next, drive the car long enough to circulate the clean oil and get the exhaust hot enough to burn off as much moisture as possible to minimize rust in the exhaust system. A short drive will also allow the gas conditioner/stabilizer to circulate throughout the fuel system and protect the engine from gum, varnish and rust.

For general cleaning, start with cleaning and vacuuming the interior. Clean the windows and mirrors, and don’t forget the trunk, the glove box and any other storage areas. Scrub out any stains on the carpet or upholstery at this time too. Once the interior is clean, hit the leather or vinyl surfaces with a high quality cleaner or protectant. If you live in a humid climate, consider using a moisture-absorbing product that you can put in the car or trunk to absorb any moisture that might build up inside the car during storage. All auto parts stores will usually offer some sort of inexpensive clay-based moisture absorbing products, but you may have to ask for them if you can’t see them on the shelf. The exterior will need a thorough wash as well, and don’t forget to remove any mud, grease or tar on the wheels or underside of the car. Finish the exterior prep with a good coat of wax and roll up the windows to keep moisture and bugs from entering the car during hibernation.

The next step in the storage prep process is to inflate your tires to the recommended pressure to help prevent them from developing flat spots while sitting stationary under the weight of the vehicle. Some people recommend taking the wheels off and placing the car on jack stands at all four corners during extended storage. Others say not to put the car on blocks because the suspension was not really designed to droop in the air for long periods and that flat spots will not be an issue with good tires if they are properly inflated, or inflated to 5 PSI over the maximum pressure indicated on the sidewalls. Either way, simply driving the car a bit should eliminate any minor flat spots later when you pull it out of storage. If major flat spots do occur during storage due to pressure loss or weak tire construction, they may be permanent and you might have to replace the affected tires. If you’re truly concerned about flat spots, perhaps taking the wheels off for the season might be the most cautious way to go.

Dead batteries are often the result of long term storage and can be avoided by purchasing a trickle charge battery tender that is plugged into a wall outlet in your garage. The trickle charger will deliver just enough current to prevent the battery from discharging over the winter. Instead of using a trickle charger, some people recommend just starting the car every now and then to maintain the battery’s charge. However, that may not be the best idea because periodically starting a cold engine that has been sitting for a while can cause excessive wear since the engine will not have a protective coating of oil on the vital surfaces. An inexpensive trickle charger is cheap insurance and probably a better choice to preserve both your engine and battery.

An enclosed garage is the best place to store your vehicle, and one that will protect it from inclement weather and help keep it at more moderate temperatures. Those without garages may be able to locate an off-site enclosed facility that doesn’t cost too much like a public storage facility. If you absolutely have to store your car outside, you’ll need a water- and weather-proof car cover at the very least.

Although most people would assume that setting the parking brake during storage is a good idea, it is not. When the brake pads or shoes are in contact with the rotors or drums for long periods, it can cause them to rust and stick tight to the rotor/drum, and cause the brakes to seize up. If the car is sitting on its wheels, it would be better to simply place “tire stoppers” or chocks in front and back of the tires to prevent the car from moving.

The steps you take before you store your vehicle are important. Any time or energy spent prepping your car will pay off later by saving you some time and money on repair bills that otherwise might result from storing an unprepared vehicle. After a thorough prep, you can let your car hibernate for the winter with the confidence of knowing that your car has been properly maintained and it will start and operate normally when you take it out of storage on that first sunny spring day.