super302 said:
1. Protect your fuel system. To keep the gas fresh and the system safe, add a container of fuel stabilizer to the gas tank, and fill the tank to the top right before putting the vehicle into storage. Take the car for a brief drive before putting it in the garage so the stabilized fuel will circulate throughout the system.
2. Drain the cooling system (including the radiator) and refill it with a rust-inhibiting antifreeze.
3. Change the oil and filter. Make sure the oil contains corrosion protection.
4. Hook up a battery charger/maintainer to keep the battery alive.
5. Protect your tires. If you can’t store the vehicle up on jack stands and don’t want to remove the wheels and tires, let some air out of the tires to reduce strain on the shocks and other suspension components.
6. Protect the paint. Give the vehicle a good end-of-season washing, dry it thoroughly and apply a protective coat of wax. Cover the car with a breathable cloth cover (plastic covers will trap condensation and provide a fertile breeding ground for rust).
7. Protect vinyl, leather and rubber. If the vehicle will be stored in a dry climate, it's wise to apply a preservative to prevent seats, armrests and dash pads from cracking. Likewise, a good coat of rust inhibitor applied to unpainted metal surfaces will prevent rust.
8. Provide critter protection. All kinds of small animals find vehicle wiring, seats and carpet delectable, and they think cars and trucks make a nice den, too. To keep critters out, place mothballs inside a vehicle, including under the dash, and cover the tailpipe. Or, for total protection, store the vehicle inside a cocoon that seals it completely from the elements.
9. Store convertibles with the top up. Convertible tops can actually shrink if they are left in the down position for an extended period of time.
10. Check your insurance and be sure your car is covered.
Exactly the stuff I needed to know! Thanks!
matthiasj said:
:Zip2:
xr8d302 said:
Ummmmmmmm................ no, lol
94gts said:
im sorry, not to be an ass, but i looked at the pics of that bike and cannot figure out why anyone would drive that 250cc thing at all. especially when you have that mustang crapola
Have you ever ridden a bike before? Sounds like you haven't. If you ever do, then you'll quickly realize that they a a BLAST to ride even if it is a smaller bike. Or maybe I should have bought a Busa to learn on and killed myself the first week of having it? Besides, the stang costs $1600 a year to insure, the bike costs $50. The stang gets 14mpg, the bike gets 65. Need I say more?
HISSIN50 said:
Chris, I would continue to drive it at least once a week. Stuff starts to take a dump when not driven much and if the bike needs repair, you are back to the stang (or is the truck available?). Plus if you want to haul something bigger than what fits in a backpack, you are outta' luck. Or maybe the truck works for all this.
I bet you have contingency plans worked out car-wise......
Glad to see you like the bikes so much!
JT, I will definitely be driving it every other week or so, just not to get around in. Just around these back roads to keep everything running. My dad told me I could borrow a truck anytime I wanted/needed to as well. Plus, I'm sure you already know this having bikes, but it's amazing what you can learn to do without carrying when you're on a bike as opposed to a car!! lol
94MustangGT5.0 said:
I store mine from Sept. to June every year with nothing more than an oil change and a car cover. Honestly, other than some surface rust on my rotors and a dead battery at the beginning of each year, it stores perfectly. The battery is a champ to, it goes dead and then charges up once and never gives me any problems.
About the battery charger thing... trickle chargers are BAD for your battery. They will cause them to build up a dependence on the charger, and kill the cranking amps the battery has. Instead, if you want to keep the battery alive and kicking, spend some cash and buy a charger that you leave on just like a trickle charger, except it has a build in meter that is constantly measuring your battery charge. Then, the battery only gets charged when it needs it. BTW.... Motorcycles < Mustangs... just my opinion!
Are you going to the bike because you never got your car running right or just honestly like the bike better. I just find it odd you never took that thing to the track when you got done.:Track:
Good info on the battery Garrett, thanks. FWIW, I did get the stang running pretty good, not 100%, but pretty good. I just don't have time to tune it anymore after getting a new job. But it still runs good enough to beat an LS1 (Z28 with a prick driver, lol), an 05 GT (also a prick driver, beat him pretty good), and a few other quick cars (RAPED an SRT4, lol). I've just done what I wanted to do with the stang, so now I'm moving onto new things. But it's not like I'm selling it, it will still be there when I decide to return to stangs.
I might try to get a track day before I park it, but honestly, the track just isn't as important as it used to be.
94-302-vert said:
After all that work you are going to park the car???
Someone needs to slap some sense into you man...
Honeslty, look at dropping the level of insurance (it is a calculated risk) then try to drive it every week or two for a decent run. That will keep everyhting in good working order... I do that with my truck over the summer and my car over the winter...
So far so good on both (but it has only been 14 months since I bought the car)...
I'm trying to move out next year, so I'm trying to save some money. The stang costs around $4200 a year between insurance and gas. The bike costs around $880 between insurance and gas.
Thanks for the comments guys, even though some of them were smartass ones.
Wow that sucks man. Our barn is plenty safe though. We just built it a few years ago, so it's not falling apart yet, lol.
Is anybody flaming Caldwell? I don't think so! I guess maybe too many people on here know my age, and I MUST be young and stupid to be doing this! 
