Hal87

iTrader: (1)

Being deployed over seas for 3-4 years. What should I do to prep my Camaro for extended storage? I know it should be up on blocks and take out the battery, but what should I do for the engine and/or fuel system besides changing the oil, filling the tank and adding fuel stabilizer? I do plan on storing the car inside with a cover on it.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

I wish you the best for your your deployment .

As to your car , when talking 3 or 4 years I would not trust any fuel stabilizer to keep gas good for 3 or 4 years , so if it were mine I'd 100% empty and dry the entire fuel system and then do my best to make sure all openings are sealed (gas cap , tank vent under the left rear tire , charcoal can) . I know it would be a total pain in the Butt to make sure the entire fuel system is dry of fuel but I just can't see 4 year old fuel not turning to wax in there , "StaBil" be damned . I figure your gonna end up taking the fuel system apart one way or another , either before you leave to 100% empty it , or when you come back to clean out the old gas that will likely have turned back into dinosaurs in your 3 or 4 year absence .

Of course it goes without saying that as many of the fluids you could change the better , things like differential fluid , transmission fluid , brake fluid , and steering fluid all suffer from moisture incursion while in use and that moisture left for 3 or 4 years will do great damage to those systems . Of course the coolant should be changed as well , every liquid you change for fresh stuff now increases your chances for finding these systems in OK condition upon your return .

I would take the weight off of the suspension and lower the tire pressure , Stuff a few bags of silica gel in places like the air cleaner and seal off the air inlet with saran wrap and put on a nice hand written label indicating the presence of the moisture absorbing bags , after of course I had used one of those "fogging sprays" like the snowmobile folks use to store their sleds for the summer . Thing is , one can get real fanatic and picky about storage depending on just how far someone's willing to go doing the work . On engines to be stored very long term it's not unheard of for all of the rockers to be loosened so as to not have valve springs compressed for the long term (your 3 or 4 years won't qualify for this , i"m just mentioning it as an example of extended long term storage protection) and of course I'd be looking into something to spray on the brake rotors to keep the rust off of them .

LiquidBlue

Some more things - Wax car good. Put breathable cover on it, dust will collect. Put charcoal in garage as general moisture absorber. Lots of rat poison everywhere. Look into lubing up door seals, ect - do it the right way. Make sure car is on high ground in case extended rain fall occurs or city sewer systems get clogged. Don't want a flood event. Get all food and other items that will attract varmits out of area. Thank you for serving!

paulo57509

You're in Montana; do you have a heated garage to put the car into?

Good suggestions from others.

Get the tires off the ground if you can. There's some debate on having the suspension loaded or unloaded; I have the suspension loaded just because it's easier to do with a unibody chassis.

There is also some debate on whether or not to drain or fill the fuel tank when stored. I fill them.

If you do decide to store the car with the tank filled, try to find a filling station that has fuel that isn't mixed with methanol. There are several in Montana depending on where you live.

http://www.pure-gas.org/

Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer works for me. I use it in my Camaro and my motor bikes (both carbed and fuel injected) and haven't had any fuel related issues. The longest I've stored a vehicle is 3 years (my carbed Yamaha). Ran fine on the treated fuel but I didn't get very far.

It seems the treated fuel loses some potency. I was surprised when I hit reserve at only 84 miles on 4.5 gallons fuel.

1987L69

If you don't have charcoal, cardboard works to absorb moisture, I would put steel wool in the exhaust tips as well to keep anything large from getting into it. Make a list now of everything you are doing to it so you can make 100% sure you undo everything prior to starting the car when you return, there was a very good article that a magazine did a couple of years back about storing your classic car for long periods.

Good luck with your deployment!

Hal87

iTrader: (1)

Thank you all for your suggestions! Lots of things I hadn't thought about. Gotta love this Forum! Condensation in the tank was one of the reasons I thought it might be better to have a full tank even if I just siphon it out and put in fresh before running it when it comes out of storage. It will be in an unheated garage, so with our extremes in temperatures throughout the year condensation in an empty tank is quite likely. Will change the fluids before and after storage.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

You're not going to get very far trying to siphon a thirdgen. Plan on hotwiring the fuel pump to get the fuel out.

siuol

Good luck with your deployment! Thank you for your service.

You might consider storing the car in a car bag. http://www.carbag.com/

Its a very stable environment. I have my formula in a bag with 10 1 pound desiccant bags. I also have a remote monitor to tell me the temp and humidity in the bag. My car is in an unheated detached garage and the temp in the bag stays steady around 32 to 40 degrees and the humidity stays in the range of 50 to 55 percent. All the other suggestions from the other guys are good.

Louis

Croz

If the car is going to be parked on concrete, get some plastic like a vapour barrier, cover the floor and park the car on it. It will protect the car from absorbing the moisture that comes out of the concrete and rusting the underside. (when you put the plastic down you may even see moisture start to collect between the plastic and the floor).

It has been said been said before but clean, clean, clean and wax. Find an auto parts store that carries a product called "Rust Check". Comes in either a red or green can. Both are good but the red is a little thinner and will creep. After the car is clean spray this product on all the door lips, hinges, underside, everywhere but no need to put it on the body paint. It will actually creep and penetrate the door skins and pannels where they are folded over. I have been using this product for 20 years and swear buy it. Yes it will make things oily and a little messy but who cares. The car is going into storage, not a car show. If the car is parked and is oily thats good. Ask anybody that owns antique guns and how they are stored.

If you are gonna take the weight off the tires or suspension, it is important to support the car properly especially since it is a unibody. Personally, I would leave the weight on the suspension. That is what it is designed to do. If you want to protect the tires, go get a used set of wheel and tires and store it on those (just make sure they hold air).

Use engine storage spay or "fogging oil" and fog that engine in. I always prefer to lave the fuel tank full but I agree 3-4 years is too long. I would run the engine, disable the fuel pump and allow the pressure to be relieved from the system. Still fill the tank full with fuel stabilizer, but as stated will have to be drained when taking out of storage. By filling the tank you are protecting it from condensation and rust forming.

Pull all 8 plugs and squirt some fogging oil in the cylinders. Loosen off all the accessory belts. Remove the battery from the vehicle. Do everything to protect it from rodents, bugs and insects. If you decide to cover it make sure the cover is a quality one and can breathe. If you do the old "blue trap" you are asking for trouble.

Good luck with your deployment. Let us know when you are home and we will help you "undo" this storage and get it back on the road.

cardo0

It can become at lot of work to prep for long term storage. But you can make it as difficult as you want.

Here's what the FAA says for storing general aviation piston engines: For engine storage of engine for longer than four weeks and
up to one year, proceed with preservation prior to engine stop
and on the engine at operating temperature. Let the engine
run at increased idle speed. Remove air filters and inject
approximately 6 cubic cm of preservative oil or equivalent
oil into the air intake of each carburetor. Stop the engine.
Remove spark plugs and inject approximately 6 cubic cm
preservation oil or equivalent oil into each cylinder and
slowly turn crankshaft 2 to 3 turns by hand to lubricate top
end parts. Replace and re-torque the spark plugs. Drain
gasoline from float chambers, fuel tank, and fuel lines. Drain
coolant on liquid cooled engines to prevent any damage by
freezing. Lubricate all carburetor linkages using the proper
lubricates. Close all openings of the engine, such as exhaust
pipe openings, venting tube, and air intake, to prevent entry
of any foreign material and humidity. Protect all external
steel parts by spraying with engine oil.

Hope this helps.

BTW aviation fuel is designed for longer term storage - unlike our modern blended auto fuels.