If your classic car has been in storage longer than your teenager has been around, chances are it isn't ready to hit the road. If your wife…{"id":5299,"date":"2014-05-06T10:35:15","date_gmt":"2014-05-06T17:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=5299"},"modified":"2014-05-06T10:35:15","modified_gmt":"2014-05-06T17:35:15","slug":"blow-off-the-cobwebs-taking-your-car-out-of-long-term-storage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/06\/blow-off-the-cobwebs-taking-your-car-out-of-long-term-storage\/","title":{"rendered":"Blow Off the Cobwebs: Taking Your Car Out of Long Term Storage"},"content":{"rendered":"
If your\u00a0classic car\u00a0has been in storage longer than your teenager has been around, chances are it isn’t ready to hit the road. If your wife isn’t even aware you own a classic car because it’s buried in the garage under all the dusty stuff marriage seems to collect, it definitely isn’t road ready.\u00a0It doesn’t necessarily have to be time and labor intensive, but there are some simple things you do need to do to get her into shape. (The car, not your wife.)<\/p>\n
Before you start the engine change the fluids.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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Do an oil change<\/em><\/li>\n
Do a full flush of the coolant<\/em><\/li>\n
Change the brake fluid (this can be easily pumped out by bleeding the brakes until the old fluid is purged)<\/em><\/li>\n
Change the transmission fluid<\/em><\/li>\n
Hopefully there isn’t any in the tank, but don’t forget to check for stale gas. Drain the gas tank if there is.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do a critter check.<\/strong> Or, if your car is stored somewhere posher than your cluttered garage, still read on.<\/em><\/p>\n
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Before hooking up the battery (you’ll most likely need a new one), check for damage to wire looms and wires<\/em><\/li>\n
Don’t forget, mice love insulation and wires<\/em><\/li>\n
Check the air filter for nests and such (the filter should be changed anyways)<\/em><\/li>\n
Inspect all vacuum lines and belts for wear and cracks<\/em><\/li>\n
Remember to look at heater hoses, oil and coolant lines<\/em><\/li>\n
Simply speaking from experience, if you don’t want your wife freaking out, checking the glove box and any hidey holes for uninvited guests is never a bad idea<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Now it’s safe to attempt a\u00a0start up, let’s go over some basics.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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Watch the gauges until the car gets up to temperature in case a line blows (or if there is a leak in an oil or coolant line that you missed)<\/em><\/li>\n
The tires need a thorough once over for weather cracks and to make sure there is proper pressure. You’ll want new rubber, but what’s on there might be good enough to get you to the shop.<\/em><\/li>\n
Unless you want to convince the patrolman that you were indeed using hand signals, now is a good time to test all the lights, including turn signals<\/em><\/li>\n
Old cars typically need some minor carburetor work after sitting<\/em><\/li>\n
It’s a good idea to grease all points in the front end and the universal joints<\/em><\/li>\n
Take the first drive slow. Don’t leave the driveway until you know the steering and brakes are working<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Now all that’s left is to convince (command) the teenager to come out to clean\/wax\/polish and you’re good to go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":5302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[805],"tags":[1274,1276,1278,1277,1275,1196,189,1280,1281,1279],"class_list":["post-5299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classic-tips","tag-car-maintenance","tag-car-storage","tag-change-fluids","tag-classic-car-maintenance","tag-classic-car-storage","tag-project","tag-project-car","tag-storing-a-vehicle","tag-taking-car-out-of-storage","tag-vehicle-storage"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t