How to Store Box for a YEAR!

[60drvr]

Can anyone give me some tips on how to store my 98 Box for a LLLONGGG year? I will be in Iraq and want to make sure I come back to the car I love? Especially intrested in the fuel cell...full or not, stabil or not...and whether to put the car on blocks etc. Deployment is soon and my Box will at least be in a pole barn in Ohio out of the weather. Thank you!!!

[jwade]

Originally Posted by 60drvr

Can anyone give me some tips on how to store my 98 Box for a LLLONGGG year? I will be in Iraq and want to make sure I come back to the car I love? Especially intrested in the fuel cell...full or not, stabil or not...and whether to put the car on blocks etc. Deployment is soon and my Box will at least be in a pole barn in Ohio out of the weather. Thank you!!!

If this were my situation, I would not put it in a pole barn, unless it has heat and power, and a good exterior skin such as brick or atleast insulated sud walls with wood batten exterior or similar. Ohio winters can be brutal!!

Best alternative is to find a temp controlled garage, whether it's a friend willing to deal, or a self storage center. I know that may be expensive, but what's your investment worth to you?

As far as the car itself, I would perform one final extremly good detail job top to bottom, then move it into the storage position.

Then jack it up to allow full suspension travel, drain all the fluids, including gas. Before you clean it, just run it to empty and whatever gas is left, dump some stabil in there for good measure.

I suppose you could leave the battery connected and run a porsche maintainer to it, but I might opt for just disconnecting it as well for the duration you will be gone.

Finally, I would cover the car with a porsche lockable cover, place the keys where you can remember where they are when you return, then say goodnight to your baby.

hope that helps, Jon

[Cloudsurfer]

Opinions on this are going to vary, but let me give my $.02.

You want the car in a climate controlled environment, temperature AND humidity if at all possible. Before it goes in, give it a VERY good cleaning, and make sure the interior is DRY before you close it up. Adding a few bags of desiccant to the interior is not a bad idea either. I would NOT drain all the fluids, as this allows moisture to condense in places it should not be (like the crankcase). Change all the fluids, but most importantly the engine oil, just before putting it away. Likewise, fill the fuel tank with premium fuel and a good stabilizer. Run the car for a few min to ensure the stabilizer gets into the fuel system and not just the tank.

Jacking the car to allow full suspension travel has its benefits and problems. Its great for the springs and tires to get the weight off them for extended periods, problem is, doing so exposes sections of suspension that are normally "covered" as the car sags under its own weight. This can allow corrosion of these areas. You want to inflate tires to their maximum pressure, unless you are in need of new tires and are planning to do that once the car comes out of storage. A compromise might be to gently jack the car to remove a good portion of the weight, but not fully unload it.

Something else to think about it, would be getting some oil into the cylinders to prevent the rings from corroding themselves to the cylinder walls.

Obviously, cover the car with a car cover, and if you question security, one the locks is great.

Storing a car for this long requires careful preparation if you want it to be happy when you return.

Patrick