cars been sitting for over a year!!!
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 180
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From: long island NY
cars been sitting for over a year!!!
ok i'm finally getting ready to do an engine swap in my camaro. i decided on goin with an lt1/4l60e combo. my car is a 92 z-28 1le. the car has been sitting on the ground on the tires for about 16 months. things i know i'm goin to need are things like shocks/struts and springs, clean the gas tank and fuel lines of old crap, all of the rubber under the car is probally shot where can i get a complete kit of poly?? my big question is what do i have to do with the brakes?? i guess i should have the rotors cut, change the pads and fluid, what else. so i don't blow any lines i guess i should chage that stuff also. any ideas or comments are welcome since work is goin to start soon!
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 13,776
Likes: 567
From: Cincinnati, OH
Car: '90 RS
Engine: 377 LSX
Transmission: Magnum T56
Where was the car stored. If it was in a dry garage you can just fire her up and go. You could also perform the new oiling techniques for new engines since all of the oil has drained to the bottom of the pan. 16 months isn't that long really for a car to sit. If you are worried about the gas just run the pump and get it out. If the car was outside I would just look thing sover to make sure no critters ate any wiring or such. Your rubber lines should be fine as well as your shocks and struts.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,391
Likes: 1
From: Newark, DE
Car: '86 Camaro, '02 WRX, '87 K5, '67
Engine: 350 TPI, 2.0turbo, 383 in the works, 289-4BBL, 232, A-head 4-cylinder
Transmission: T56, 5-speed, 700R4, C4, T176, semi-auto 2-speed
Axle/Gears: 3.73, 3.90, 4.88, 3.55, 3.54, 7.00
I agree. I wouldn't just start dumping money into the car without at least verifying that things need to be replaced. Check all of the rubber for signs of dry rot. If the bushings and hoses look fine then they don't need to be replaced. If the car rides fine then the shocks are okay. Typically they won't go bad in a year just from sitting, unless the shafts are corroded and ruin the seals.
Check the brakes. If the car was outside they probably have significant surface rust. Get them cut and throw on some fresh pads. If the car was inside then the light surface rust will be ground off after you make about three hard stops. Changing the brake fluid isn't a bad idea. Ideally you should do it every two years, but most peope never change it at all! Brake fluid absorbs water over time, and it's boiling point goes down. Under heavy braking the water in the fluid turns to steam, and while water won't compress steam will, so you get a spoungey pedal and lots of brake fade. Plus the water will corrode the inside of your brake lines and eventually cause them to fail from the inside out. The easiest way to change the fluid is just to bleed the system through with fresh fluid until the fluid looks clear coming out of the bleeders. If there's a lot of junk in the master cylinder you may have to take it out and flush the reservoir. The fluid in my car was black when I got it, now it's as clear as water.
I would pump out the gas tank and top it off with fresh high test. Run a bottle of fuel injector cleaner through the car too for good measure, but after 16 months there won't be any really nasty sludge. The gas will have lost a lot of its octane rating though.
Definately prime the oiling system until you get oil flow at every rocker arm. Change the oil while you're at it, because a lot of condensation builds up in the crankcase over time. I would also pull all the plugs and squirt just a little WD-40 or similar product into each cylinder, and then crank the engine over by hand a couple of times. If it won't turn over by hand you've got a problem, and it's best to find that out before trying to spin it over with the starter, which can break stuff if the motor's locked up. It's probably fine after such a short period, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Changing the trans fluid/filter and the rear gear oil is also a good idea, because of the condensation issue.
Once you get it running flush the cooling system and refill with fresh antifreeze.
Check the brakes. If the car was outside they probably have significant surface rust. Get them cut and throw on some fresh pads. If the car was inside then the light surface rust will be ground off after you make about three hard stops. Changing the brake fluid isn't a bad idea. Ideally you should do it every two years, but most peope never change it at all! Brake fluid absorbs water over time, and it's boiling point goes down. Under heavy braking the water in the fluid turns to steam, and while water won't compress steam will, so you get a spoungey pedal and lots of brake fade. Plus the water will corrode the inside of your brake lines and eventually cause them to fail from the inside out. The easiest way to change the fluid is just to bleed the system through with fresh fluid until the fluid looks clear coming out of the bleeders. If there's a lot of junk in the master cylinder you may have to take it out and flush the reservoir. The fluid in my car was black when I got it, now it's as clear as water.
I would pump out the gas tank and top it off with fresh high test. Run a bottle of fuel injector cleaner through the car too for good measure, but after 16 months there won't be any really nasty sludge. The gas will have lost a lot of its octane rating though.
Definately prime the oiling system until you get oil flow at every rocker arm. Change the oil while you're at it, because a lot of condensation builds up in the crankcase over time. I would also pull all the plugs and squirt just a little WD-40 or similar product into each cylinder, and then crank the engine over by hand a couple of times. If it won't turn over by hand you've got a problem, and it's best to find that out before trying to spin it over with the starter, which can break stuff if the motor's locked up. It's probably fine after such a short period, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Changing the trans fluid/filter and the rear gear oil is also a good idea, because of the condensation issue.
Once you get it running flush the cooling system and refill with fresh antifreeze.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,330
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From: MN
Car: 1989 Formy droptop/88 Deville
Engine: L98 350 TPI
Transmission: factory RWD, WS6 susp
My car died last winter (fuel pump, now radiator) I ran it a bit, if you didn't you need to clean out the old fluid. It's always recommended to remove some items and stabilize fuel, etc, when storing. OR run the car now and then to keep things lubed up.
As for undercarriage...tough one, I'd say some third gen sources listed at the site or on eBay can have stuff like replacement seals.
EDIT: regarding the above brake mention, Mine are quite hard to get working after sitting a bit over 6 months. My friend states it is rusted brake components. My thought is it's fluid, as you say. I will likely need to get it flushed/bled and discs and pads examined as well.
Sounds like I should have WD 40 and I don't. My buddy seems to swear by the stuff...for many uses
Bill
As for undercarriage...tough one, I'd say some third gen sources listed at the site or on eBay can have stuff like replacement seals.
EDIT: regarding the above brake mention, Mine are quite hard to get working after sitting a bit over 6 months. My friend states it is rusted brake components. My thought is it's fluid, as you say. I will likely need to get it flushed/bled and discs and pads examined as well.
Sounds like I should have WD 40 and I don't. My buddy seems to swear by the stuff...for many uses
Bill
Last edited by Bill Speed; Dec 11, 2004 at 07:29 AM.
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