I generally do drive my cars all year round and keep them regularly exercised. But, sometimes, due to the weather in the Northeast with snow on the roads, once every couple of years, my cars sit for a few months. I used to have a habit of running the engine every 2 weeks or so in garage or driveway without driving them and then shutting it down after a few minutes. I’ve learned that’s not the best thing for the car. So, what i have been doing in the past 10 years or so is:

1. Have fuel stabilizer in tank and run car at end of season with it before parking it
2. Rotate by hand, the engine 1/4 turn every 2 weeks.
3. Keep car/tires up off ground if parked for more than a month
4. Keep battery maintained by auto charger

That’s it. Is there anything else that i should be doing for short term storage? What do you do if parked for a month-6 months long?

You probably do it, but never store an engine with used oil in the pan. Combustion makes acids, most go out the tail pipe, but some get into the engine oil because of blow-by. Depends how dirty the oil is but the acid can etch the bearings.

DO NOT start the engine unless you can drive it long enough to get the oil temperature up.

I try to bring my up to 180-200 temp. burn off the moister in the fuel (e-85) and shut it down.

Same thing on using the starter to turn the motor over with no oil pressure Don't do THAT
That practice and the reasoning for it started back in the mid 1950 with the then new SB V8 Chevy motors, the racers would turn them over with the starter with the coil wire or ignition feed switch off until they got oil pressure and then let the motor fire off, STUPID
The oil pump will provide oil pressure a lot quicker at 500+ RPM running than it will at 25 to 100 RPM on the starter
As far as condensation in any metal containers, including engine and transmission cases, moisture will condense inside of them when the outside air temps. change from night time until day time of more than 20F
I learn that while living in SO CA in the Mojave desert, I found a thin skim of rust in a cylinder in one of my old race cars stored inside my enclosed insulated shop that wasn't heated, air temps would vary from 105 F during the day to close to 60F at night in the summer, similar differences in the fall, winter and spring going from 75F during the day down to +15 F at night

if longer than a month or two, take the plugs out. Spray some WD40 in each cylinder or 10W oil. Rotate the engine every week or 10 days to keep the cyl walls rust free . Other than that depending on where the car is stored thing about capping off the exhaust.

I keep mine on a Battery Tender any time the car is home , since I rewired the car and went to a one wire alternator the tender goes from charge mode to maintain mode with in a few minutes. I start it every week to ten days and run it for a couple of minutes. I always turn the fuel pump off and run the carb out of fuel before shutting it off. Put the rear on jack stands to get the tires off the ground. An advantage to that is when I run the car I can run the trans and rear also.

Regardless of water temperature, oil temperature tracks load and won't even exceed ambient by much unless the car is driven.

Drain the fuel tank, run engine until all fuel is out of fuel system, turn engine over with ignition off while spraying WD 40 into carb, shoot WD40 it carb bleeds, change or drain the oil, back off all rockers to relieve spring pressure, seal exhaust. Worked for me for years and never had a problem.

Yeah....i used to do that and then learned the damage i was doing. So, i don’t runnit anymore unless i take it out to get full operating temp. Thx

I used to do all that and use fogging oil down carb when i put them to sleep for many long months. But, now i just keep them parked 2 months max. I make sure they are driven during the cold season when no snow out.

I don't do anything besides disconnect the battery. Even with my racecar I'd let it sit untouched. Now my 440+6 RR gets the same treatment. Park it in the fall, drive it in the spring,

Same here. One year I parked my stocker and it sat in the garage a whole year.

Then decided to race it at the Gators. Took it out of storage, washed it, warmed it up and changed the oil, filter and plugs and threw it in the car hauler.


Of course fuel was better back then.