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Proper Storage for Your Classic Car

Many things can go wrong with your classic car if it is not properly stored. After a long period of inactivity during the winter months, your pride and joy may have rusted metal, blistered paint, rotting rubber, cracked fiberglass, pitted chrome, dead batteries, locked brakes, or other problems. Well, this is really one of those times when prevention is better than cure.

The first thing to do is to clean off all the grime and salts from your car’s body parts and undercarriage. Wax your car as you normally do, but this time, keep the wax on the chromed parts, and let it stay until you take the car out of storage. All the rubber parts should be lubricated, and the interior should be properly vacuumed and cleaned. If you are storing your classic car for six months or more, you should drain the fuel tank. The cooling system has to be drained as well, and the petcock and the radiator should be left open for better air circulation. Then, drain the heater too, and replace the old brake fluid with new one.

Have the front wheel bearings packed, and apply grease on the suspension and steering fittings. After that, wash the battery with baking soda and water, and keep it in a dry place. Then, remove the tires, and stack them neatly in a corner. Another thing to do is to press the clutch down and lock it with a 2 x 4.

Before you cover your classic car, make sure you roll down the windows. Opened boxes with baking soda should be placed in different parts of the car to absorb moisture. Then, cover the carburetor with a plastic bag, and stuff the tailpipe with a rag to block out vermins.