Putting a vehicle on blocks tends to be a controversy between many people.
When you put a vehicle on blocks this allows the suspension to float free
which suspension were not designed to. This could cause suspension problems
down the road (no pun intended).
If this is a short time storage (under 6 months) I wouldn't put it on
blocks. Many people think the tires flat spot when you store them. Flat
spotting only occurs when you lock your tires up and burn rubber off of one
spot. What happens in storage is the steal belt flattens in the spot from
where the tires were resting. This will cause thumping when you first drive
the truck, but after 5 to 10 miles the tires will round out and the noise
will disappear. One way to minimize this is to inflate the tires to their
maximum pressure as shown on the side wall during storage.
Antifreeze and oil should be fresh. Fill the gas tank to the top to minimize
any possible condensation in the tank. Wash the vehicle and get a car cover.
I put moth balls in the engine compartment to keep the critters out. Another
think I like to do is start the vehicle every 2 to 3 weeks. Engines are
meant to be run and seals will dry out if they don't run from time to time
and this could lead to leaking seals. Run the engine for 30 minutes at about
1000 to 1500 RPM, not idle. Again, engines were not meant to run at idle.
Running at higher RPM also helps to burn off any condensation in the
mufflers and oil. If you have A/C make sure to run that at the same time to
keep the compressor lubricated.
While I'm running the engine, I also like to move the car back or forward a
few feet to change the resting position of the tires.
I've been following this procedure for about 10 years with my RX-7 and
Vette, and come every spring I never have any problem pulling them out of
their winter hibernation.
Regards
Bret
00 4X4 Dak
----- Original Message -----
From: <fawcett@uism.bu.edu>
To: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 8:27 AM
Subject: Re: DML: Winter Storage options
> Blocks are most important as the tires can actually "form" to the static
> position they are in if stored for a long time. I'd also remove the
battery
> from the vehicle and get a good quality cover that breathes. I don't know
if
> you have to worry about the fuel system with injected/pressurized systems
(I
> drain the carbs on my bike) but you might want to put some stabilizer in
the
> tank. There is a lot of exposed rubber on a bike that I treat with armor
all
> type stuff but I dunno if you need to worry about that with a car/truck.
Your
> also supposed to drain the oil and replace it after you unwrap your rig
but I
> don't know exactly why if the oil was fresh when you stored it.
> That's all that comes to mind for now.
> Tom
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: DML: Winter Storage options
> Author: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net> at smtpout
> Date: 2/1/00 10:26 PM
>
>
> Well....I couldn't hold out any longer and ordered a 2K R/T this month.
> I'm going to miss my V6 sport, it was a great truck and I had alot of
> fun with it for the year and a half that I owned it...never had any
> problems of any kind so I was abit reluctant to part with it. Anyway,
> The R/T is coming abit sooner than I expected (about 2 months too
> soon!!)
> which is a problem for me since I live in the frozen North (Ontario) and
> I hadn't planned on driving it in the winter. I was hoping I wouldn't
> have to worry about it until next fall but since the truck will be here
> next week it's a problem.
> Is putting it up on blocks the best option?...and if it is...what else
> should I do as well for proper storage (I've never stored anything
> before) Any advise would be great.
>
> Matt
> '98 V6 CC Sport (traded in)
> '00 CC R/T
>
>
>
>
>
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