Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

Ferrari Message Board Archive 10/00-8/02
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Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

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Posted by Henry Frank

Long Term Storage.

Hello Tom,
Firstly, let me say what a wonderful page you have.
Your car is a true treasure & I hope you never sell that wonderful car.
Your workmanship on the car is better than most repair shops.  The care you have taken is truly inspiring.  Well done.  
Tom, I have a question with regards to the long-term storage of 2 classic cars.  I inherited both cars from my father.  They are a Ferrari365 and an XK-E series II.  I do not want to sell the cars.
Both cars have less than 40,000 miles on the clock.  They are both in excellent original condition.
If I want to store the cars for a number of years what is the best way to achieve this?  I already have a clean, sealed, dry garage for the vehicles.  Somebody once told me that I should fill both cars sump with oil – right up to the top.  (I understand you must never start a car with so much oil in it or it will seize).  Then you should drain all fluids – fuel, brakes, transmission.  I also believe it is better to raise the car off the ground.  I have a special jack trolley that would allow this.
Then, in a few years time, I could simply drain the oil, change oil filter, add fresh oil, add fuel, add fresh brake and transmission fluids, replace the battery, replace the spark plugs and presto – they should run.  Will I need to rebuild the engine after the couple of years rest?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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Re: Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

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Posted by Pete

The Ducati site has a good article on hibernating motorcycles at:

http://www.ducati.com/bikes/service.jht ... etailId=26

Now I know that motorcycles only have 2 wheels and cars have a few more but the general concept is still the same, i.e. what is best for the engine and to raise the car to save the tyres, etc.

Hope this helps
Pete
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Re: Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

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Posted by Tom

Hi Henry,

Welcome to my site, and thanks for the kind words of support!

There are many opinions on long term storage, and Pete's link to the Ducati site gives some good pointers. Here are some of my thoughts, but should certainly not be used difinitively!

Fuel: An empty tank will allow the gastank to rust, a full tank will have to be drained after sitting for more than a year (The explosive stuff evaporates). If things are kept dry, and storage will be for years as apposed to months, I would go with an empty tank provided the storage is dry (see below)

I would run the engine till it stalls after I disconnect the front fuel line to keep the crud out of the carbs.

Oil: I would definitely squirt some oil in each of the cylinders after I run the engine dry of gasoline. Filling the whole engine with oil may be overkill as long as your garage is dry. Have you seen how much oil a Ferrari leaks? A few years from now, and you'll have a nice oil slick to clean up! Let's not even talk about the Jag!

Coolant: I would drain the coolant.

Brakes: This is a tough one. Draining the lines will probably allow the lines to rust, but keeping them filled may not be any better. Brakes just don't like to sit.

Susupension: I've heard many opinions on this one. With the car in the air, and the shocks fully extended, the shock rods can rust. With the car on the ground, you can flat-spot the wheels and the bearings. I would suggest jacking the car in the air and supporting it from the suspension, and not from the chassis.

Tires: I would coat the tires with a tire treatment (No silicones!) and try to cover them with a thick plastic bag. Ozone is what kills rubber, along with UV.

Leather and wool interior: Figure a way to keep the mice out. Them's interior is tasty!

Keeping the garage that you are storing your car dry will do more good than anything. If you keep the humidity down, rust will not form as quickly on all surfaces. A dehumidifyer will help.

Ferraris, and Jaguars will not come out of a deep sleep without problems. All cars hate to sit idle, so don't expect to top off the fluids and drive out of the garage. Some of the guys on the list can't do this from week to week!

Hope these ideas help!

Tom


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Re: Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

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Posted by Pete

Tom's comments are excellent and yes I would support the suspension with jack stands under the springs. This will help the rubber bushes too, otherwise they will be on full twist for that year or two, i.e. the rubber bushes in the trailing arms, etc have to twist for the suspension movement, thus they should be installed so as in the normal position they are not twisted.

As for the brakes I would leave the fluid in (you will have to change when you wake her up) and put pieces of cardboard between the pads and the disc ... otherwise the pad will rust to the brake disc.

Do Ferrari's have a drum brake handbrake? ... if so I would leave the handbrake off, actually I would leave it off anyway.

The other problem you will have is the clutch will stick to the flywheel. I would suggest you find a method of either keeping the clutch pedal depressed or better still make the clutch fork jammed in the depressed position. Maybe with somebody in the car pressing the pedal you could place somesort of spacer in the bell housing to hold the clutch fork in place. Note: I have just suggested a VERY dangerous thing to do, so please be careful ... I do not want to hear that you lost a finger or two.

Even if you have to store them, is it not possible to visit them once a month and take them for a good 2 hour drive? All machines develop ugly problems if not used as intended. In fact most of the problems that Ferraris have probably have a lot to do with the fact that they are hardly used vehicles. I know that my fathers Jensen Interceptor gives a lot of trouble due to lack of use ... and when he actually uses it, it is fine ... er, but thirsty :)

Pete
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Re: Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

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Posted by Tom

Stuck flywheels are problematic, but if the humidity is kept low, it probably won't happen. The only time I had a stuck flywheel was when my Sunbeam was stored outside for a winter.

Tom
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Long term Ferrari storage....

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Posted by Henry

I don't want the financial outlay of keeping the cars running.  If I drive them every month (which is no problem) I will need to service them, they will then require registration, insurance, etc etc etc.
I simply want to look after the cars whilst NOT driving the criters!~!
These 2 cars could keep me in the poor house if I was not careful!  The major service on the Ferrari is enough to buy a decent new car!
I don't want this horror story of expense.  Presently I am an Anglican minister and I really need to watch my pennies - (unless one of you kind fellows would like to donate some money to god,....I mean me).
I have access to a fully heated, dehumitised garage.  &nbsp
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Re: Long term Ferrari storage. What should I do?

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Posted by Dr. Ian Levy

Hello Henry
I am writing from Manchester, Englaand. We know pretty well about damp & rust.
Low humidity is the key to successful storage & you have got plentyof good advice already. A dehumidifier helps greatly but if you are storing the cars indefinitely maybe consider a CARCOON or other dehumidified bubble. Whatever you do you will NOT be able to justreplace the fluids & drive off.
Regards & good luck
Ian Levy
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This is just another joker

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Posted by Andrew


just ignore this fool as he has neither a jaguar or a Ferrari and probabley can't even drive!.

The email address is the same as the loser who was claiming to be a plastic surgeon last week

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At least this time is a good Q

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Posted by Mik

Who really cares if he has an F40 or  F50 or if he is the richest or poorest man in the world ? I can't undertand.


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At least this time is a good Q

Post by wwwboard »

Posted by Mik

Who really cares if he has an F40 or  F50 or if he is the richest or poorest man in the world ? I can't undertand.


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Re: At least this time is a good Q

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Posted by andrew

The guy doesnt have a ferrari at all, it doesnt matter how much a car's worth, just that he actually has one and isnt lying to everybody on this message board.
Havent you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf!

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Re: At least this time is a good Q

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Posted by andrew

The guy doesnt have a ferrari at all, it doesnt matter how much a car's worth, just that he actually has one and isnt lying to everybody on this message board.
Havent you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf!

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Re: At least this time is a good Q

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Posted by andrew

The guy doesnt have a ferrari at all, it doesnt matter how much a car's worth, just that he actually has one and isnt lying to everybody on this message board.
Havent you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf!

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Re: At least this time is a good Q

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Posted by Tom Yang

Hello "Mik,"

Since you're probably "Ivan," or "Henry," I'm getting tired of this. The point is you've wasted enough of our time. I kindly take the time to answer as many questions on this message board to people who need help. You don't have to own a Ferrari to be here, in fact I welcome people who don't. What I don't appreciate is your determination to lie, and play games. If you'd like to act like an adult, and have a normal conversation without lies, fine, if not, please go find another place on the Internet to exist.

Thank you.

Tom Yang
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Re: At least this time is a good Q

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Posted by Tom Yang

Hello "Mik,"

Since you're probably "Ivan," or "Henry," I'm getting tired of this. The point is you've wasted enough of our time. I kindly take the time to answer as many questions on this message board to people who need help. You don't have to own a Ferrari to be here, in fact I welcome people who don't. What I don't appreciate is your determination to lie, and play games. If you'd like to act like an adult, and have a normal conversation without lies, fine, if not, please go find another place on the Internet to exist.

Thank you.

Tom Yang
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