Storing my '97 Z71

Have your so-called "friends" drive you to the pub in the truck until such time that you get the license back.

You, the "friends", the truck, and others that you share the road with will all be well off under this plan.

You are correct 'Guest' - that is exactly what I HAVE been doing since July of last year, in addition to paying for cabs (very expensive, since I live in the rural area), buses with irregular schedules rush hours only with no weekend/holiday service($2.75 cdn./trip - ticket + transfer slip expires after 2 hours use), and GO train/bus (a good deal depending on starting point to destination point, and return trip - with the caveat being that one first has to first travel by taxi or bus = approx. $20.00 cdn. one way to get to the GO train/bus station).

_{and yes I do have a bicycle that I rebuilt this summer, but it's going to get very cold and wintery and dark and blizzardly very soon - oh poor, poor little old me - does anyone else feel sorry for me - I didn't think so and would not have expected anyone to have sympathy for anyone in my circumstance. I can learn from this experiece and look forward to the future when this is behind me. and I should be wiser (all things considered).}

Loupy

As far as the engine goes, if you're not going to start it, I knew a guy that filled up the entire crank case as far up as it would go, with kerosene, when he shipped off to Vietnam. I've never tried it, but he swore by it for keeping the engine in good shape.

Seems like you could protect the outside with just a large tarp.

I got popped in 96.......1/100th of a point over the limit and they threw the book at me, haven't drank and driven since. Getting $hitfaced and jumping on CR4 doesn't work very well either.

It may be overkill, but I have shrink-wrapped my boat for the winter many a times (It probably doesn't hurt with the cost that I know some scaffolders/shrinkwrappers - a bunch of beer with the plastic at cost)

But it seems to be more robust than tarps and rope.

.... and then again, it may not work so well on a vehicle - with the torch on the paint and such. It works with a wakeboard tower on a boat though - lots of open space.

Hey Loupy,

After having let my beloved 2000 Chev S10, 4X4 (78K miles at the time) sit for a year and a half after moving back to the family farm I can offer the following 3 pieces of advice:

1. If available, store it under roof, garage, shed, even a car port (as a last resort).

2. If it must be stored out in the open, place a piece of cardboard on the dash board especially if you have a dark interior. Dash boards are an SOB to change out.

3. Get someone (you trust) to drive it once a month for a couple hundred miles, both city (stop and go) and Highway (cruising speed) , EACH AND EVERY MONTH!!!!!

With my experience of letting my S-10 sit, I had a SH*T load of problems when I resumed using it.

Rusted rotors that had to be replaced (along with pads), dry rotted tires, belts, hoses, leaking rear trans seal, leaking valve covers, dry rotted vacuum lines, leaking front oil seal,split and cracked dash board.

The worst of all (drum roll please) rusted brake lines that would fail at the worst of possible times (always while driving in traffic).

The brake line issue resurfaced three times at about $400 a copy.

On the bright side, I still have my S-10. After much initial money (wifey was not on board with me on this) and elbow grease (I'm too old for this crap!!!), she is back and reliable as the day I drove her off the dealer lot.

While she is not my daily driver, I still get her out once or twice a month for a "round the block".

I would not let the Z sit the whole time untouched.

Hope this helps!

Good luck to you and the Z!

Yes, If you are on a farm, rural, drive it off-road a little to just keep things moving...

I let one sit up when I went to Iraq and had a hard time with it when I got back..

Start it at least once a week and move it around.

Also, there are powered bicycle motors that you can buy for around $400 U.S. that you install on a bicycle that can legally (in most places) get you around, but you cannot get on an interstate or bicycle prohibited road in the U.S.

I don't know what the rules are in canada. I wouldn't try it in the winter, however.

Always keep fuel stabilizer in the tank and try to run the tank through once a year. I've left my boat in storage for 2 years at a time and I've never had a problem. I also spray some fogging oil in all my engines through the spark plug holes in case moisture condenses inside.

I know someone who wanted a brand new 1993 Mustang so badly that he made an impulse buy on a leftover in the spring of 1994. Without a place to garage it and half a dozen other daily drivers, it sits outside for years at a time with only a tarp. He keeps the battery inside and periodically trickle charges it. Today it only has about 12,000 miles and looks great.

My only contribution to this conversation is that fuel stabilizer is a must and you should keep the fuel tank full to prevent any condensation from forming in the tank. Eastern Canada normally has high humidity and fairly large tempearture swings. Other than that, glean through the posts as there is useful information in nearly every one.

What's that got to do with the question?

Remove all batteries & drain fuel, put mystery oil in all the cylinders and shrink wrap it like they do a boat. I'm not sure if it's the best solution but it might help.

There are conflicting suggestions that have been offered so far. Have some one drive once a week, or drain the fuel and remove the tires and battery. You will have to decide on how sure you are of having a responsible person to do the driving for you. Friends come and go. Some friends will stab you in the back, and beat the crap out of your Z behind your back.

I have another solution. I am offering to baby sit your loved one for a limited amount of time. I would be willing to drag race it on summer weekends Exercise it weekly. Take it mudding once a month Perform required monthly appearance details.

After all we here at CR4 are all adult responsible professionals. It would be possible for me to send pictures of your extended family member when ever your heart needed some comfort. Please be aware that you would have to work out the details concerning transportation. But you could rest comfortably on those long cold nights that your baby was tearing up the streets resting comfortably in the warm sunshine state. I just want to help a fellow member out in your troubled times.

PS Don't let Lyn-lynch touch it. He abuses vehicles.

Options:

1. Sell it it will pay for your taxi.

2. Keep the license plate valid plate and ask one of your sober friends to drive it occasionally, make sure he's insured.

Oh sure. Blame it all on me. How was I to know that mailbox was on a steel post?

Besides, those cars didn't have very strong spring shackles and I'm sure running over a lot of things at 85MPH would have ripped the axles out from under the junker.

Anyway, that's what you get for loaning your car to someone who had been drinking!

I recently saw an inflatable garage/carport announced somewhere, perhaps on Globalspec or one of the other engineering forums.

I wasn't able to find it again, but a search on 'inflatable carport' yielded among others <http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/inflatable-garage.html>

Something like this should meet your needs by providing the appropriate protection - not a permanent solution but if it is UV resistant it should last as long as you need.

regards
Bill

Drive it, or get a friend to drive it every couple of days. If you don't, it will deteriorate more quickly than you think. Make sure it runs for at least a half hour to warm everything up. Parking it in an unheated shelter will help it survive longer than parking it in a heated garage. Winter driving is really hard on a car, but letting it sit to moulder is worse.

A friend of mine leased his car out when he was deployed across the pond. And remember....

Its only a damned car! Get over it!

Thanks to all who have replied to this posting. I've got to mull over all these good suggestions in order to get my head around it, as my options (time & finances, etc.) are limited. I have to probably cancel/reduce the insurance policy on it when it's annual renewal time, and just put 'fire and theft' coverage on it. - Loupy

^{p.s. -please don't suggest the 'fire & theft' option as I'm not inclined to ever become a fraudster.}

I've seen ads for that system. It gives you the option to inflate it with nitrogen so that rubber/plastic parts don't deteriorate. Additionally, it keeps precipitation off and allows some UV through to create a little heat to thwart condensation. Add a small fan to circulate the atmosphere and you can check mildew (you can't extract all the oxygen from the bag). A small, cheap muffin fan hanging from the mirror will take care of the interior. Throwing a couple of bags of desiccant on the floor and seats fights mildew also. Armor All everything that can be Armor Alled. Don't forget the tires. Wax all metal parts. Install an electrically operated system that attaches to the frame and applies a reverse current and causes all corrosion to be centered on a sacrificial zinc plate. That's all I can think of at the moment.

you are more than welcome to park it in my pole barn.leave the keys under the mat.

I tried that. He does not seem stupid enough to let me have it. Better luck to you.

Thanks - besides it's too far away.