Storage Questions

[PeteG41]

Hey gents,

Kind of torn on what to do here. My 73 needs a motor rebuild, and is currently not running. The FMX trans will also get rebuilt at the same time. My plan was to have enough saved up to have it done by the end of November. As you all know life happens and at 34 I am going to be in the market for a house in the next 8 months-1 year. That being said, the mach is going to have to take a backseat to that, as 8k is a sizeable chunk that I can use in a down payment. The fuel tank has about 8 gallons in it, of course that I added BEFORE finding out about the motor issues. If I am not going to be able to do the rebuild any time soon, what do you all suggest I do since it will be sitting? I am in Phoenix so the "winter" isn't really going to be an issue temperature wise. Should I put some stabilizer in the tank, or just siphon it all out? The tank is fairly new. I also have an oil leak coming out of the drain plug. I have a container underneath to catch it, but should I just drain it? Just unsure of the process for storing a non op vehicle.

 

[Hemikiller]

If it's leaking, I would just drain it as well as you can.

 

[PeteG41]

If it's leaking, I would just drain it as well as you can.

Will do. I have caught most of it, just didn't want to attempt an oversize plug at the moment since it would be easier to do with the motor out. Talk about a waste. Hindsight I wish I would have known the motor health before changing the oil, rebuilding the carb, and adding fuel.

 

[Sheriff41]

I agree, drain it. When I lived in AZ the rodents were a big problem with cars parked for any length of time. We used mothballs under the hood, on the intake manifold in a jar lid, to keep them away. I'd also put some in the cowl area, also. Check with some of the locals there for other ideas.

 

[PeteG41]

I agree, drain it. When I lived in AZ the rodents were a big problem with cars parked for any length of time. We used mothballs under the hood, on the intake manifold in a jar lid, to keep them away. I'd also put some in the cowl area, also. Check with some of the locals there for other ideas.

It is currently parked under a cover at my townhouse complex. The PO had it in his backyard and while there was some mouse poop on the intake, somehow I didn't find anything that had been chewed on. I don't think I will have any rodent issues now as its in a parking lot but I could be wrong?

 

[delawarebill]

i also agree to drain the tank. and since the engine does run..... FOG the hell out of it. u don't need to try and take a motor apart that is seized up

 

[PeteG41]

i also agree to drain the tank. and since the engine does run..... FOG the hell out of it. u don't need to try and take a motor apart that is seized up

Beautiful ride. It shouldn't be too hard for me to drain the tank, I can borrow a siphon pump from a buddy. It is an oil leak, not a fuel leak. However It doesn't run so I don't think the fog would work. I have 3 bent pushrods and one that is missing, I am assuming it fell underneath the intake. It is getting a full rebuild, as well as a new carb and intake.

 

[mrgmhale]

Drain it out. But, be sure to leave a note in the interior of the car to remind yourself, or tell others, of the fuel having been drained out lest you forget and drain the battery charge with lots of cranking with no fuel. To get as much fuel out of the carb and fuel pump as possible, after draining the tank run the engine until it stops due to lack of fuel. In order to get it fired up following the tank being drained, and refilling the fuel tank with fresh fuel (I am suggesting ethanol free gasoline), you can use a little fuel down the carburetor venturis, or even petroleum ether (starting fluid, it only takes a little - do not over-use) to get the engine fired up initially, which is often enough to get the fuel pump to pull the fuel through needed to fill the carburetor bowl. Also, I suggest cranking the engine over with the ignition coil wire grounded for a few moments to get oil up into the engine if it has been sitting for a while - to prevent a dry start, or "almost-dry start." For the really ambitious persons., I would go so far as to remove the distributor and manually turn the oil pump shaft counter clockwise (Ford) for a while to get fresh il pumped up into the main and rod bearings, and other critically lubricated area before turning the engine over. I usually run my emgines once a month during Winter Hibernation, if we catch a good day, just to keep the oil present enough to prevent any (near) dry starts at the beginning of Car Season.

I know a lot of folks recommend against running the engines during Winter Hibernation, for any number of reasons. But, I do it anyway, and change the oil and filters at the beginning of the new Car Season regardless of the number of miles since the prior change. That way any condensation from the infrequent starts and stops will be removed early in the season.

 

[PeteG41]

Drain it out. But, be sure to leave a note in the interior of the car to remind yourself, or tell others, of the fuel having been drained out lest you forget and drain the battery charge with lots of cranking with no fuel. To get as much fuel out of the carb and fuel pump as possible, after draining the tank run the engine until it stops due to lack of fuel. In order to get it fired up following the tank being drained, and refilling the fuel tank with fresh fuel (I am suggesting ethanol free gasoline), you can use a little fuel down the carburetor venturis, or even petroleum ether (starting fluid, it only takes a little - do not over-use) to get the engine fired up initially, which is often enough to get the fuel pump to pull the fuel through needed to fill the carburetor bowl. Also, I suggest cranking the engine over with the ignition coil wire grounded for a few moments to get oil up into the engine if it has been sitting for a while - to prevent a dry start, or "almost-dry start." For the really ambitious persons., I would go so far as to remove the distributor and manually turn the oil pump shaft counter clockwise (Ford) for a while to get fresh il pumped up into the main and rod bearings, and other critically lubricated area before turning the engine over. I usually run my emgines once a month during Winter Hibernation, if we catch a good day, just to keep the oil present enough to prevent any (near) dry starts at the beginning of Car Season.

I know a lot of folks recommend against running the engines during Winter Hibernation, for any number of reasons. But, I do it anyway, and change the oil and filters at the beginning of the new Car Season regardless of the number of miles since the prior change. That way any condensation from the infrequent starts and stops will be removed early in the season.

I appreciate the response! However, she's definitely not running so all I can do is drain the tank. When I have the funds it will be pulled and get a complete rebuild at a mustang shop down the street from me. Until then it will be under a cover in my carport. I just didn't know the proper storage techniques for a non op vehicle. Seeing as it has an oil leak, didn't know if I should just go ahead and drain that as well as the fuel tank, or just let it keep dripping into the catch container underneath.

 

[giantpune]

Just drain it out the bottom of the tank into a 5 gallon can and use it in your lawn mower or your daily driver car.

I left gas sitting in mine for about 10yr when I put it on hold to do adult stuff like buy a house. When I eventually got back to working on the car, everything in the tank had dried up into turpentine. Replacing the tank and sending unit assembly wasn't hard or terribly expensive. It did gum up the carb. I didn't even bother taking it apart to clean it. Just put it on the shelf and bought a new carb. The hardest part to clean up is the steel fuel line running from the tank to the engine bay. Its not trivial to pull that out. And its tedious to clean all the gunk out of it.

I would suggest if nothing else, dont let the car sit for a long period of time with gas sitting in that line. Its worth the effort to drain it and cap it. If you've got a working carb now, probably drain the bowls on it so its still working when you come back to it.

 

[PeteG41]

Just drain it out the bottom of the tank into a 5 gallon can and use it in your lawn mower or your daily driver car.

I left gas sitting in mine for about 10yr when I put it on hold to do adult stuff like buy a house. When I eventually got back to working on the car, everything in the tank had dried up into turpentine. Replacing the tank and sending unit assembly wasn't hard or terribly expensive. It did gum up the carb. I didn't even bother taking it apart to clean it. Just put it on the shelf and bought a new carb. The hardest part to clean up is the steel fuel line running from the tank to the engine bay. Its not trivial to pull that out. And its tedious to clean all the gunk out of it.

I would suggest if nothing else, dont let the car sit for a long period of time with gas sitting in that line. Its worth the effort to drain it and cap it. If you've got a working carb now, probably drain the bowls on it so its still working when you come back to it.

Didn't even register there was a drain plug on the bottom of the tank, I will look when I get home. I rebuilt the carb but with the rebuild I am going with an upgraded intake and a new carb so I am not worried about in in that sense. I know the PO ran some pretty varnished fuel through the lines off of a little boat tank he had when I originally came to look at it, so part of me is already prepared to have to replace those lines anyways. It was last registered in 2015. He put in a new tank but never dropped fuel in it because he didn't want to drain it if it didn't sell. The good news is when I replaced the fuel pump, the gas that came out of the line from the new tank seemed fine, no sediment or crud came out of the lines. Might be worth the money to replace them with the motor though, since it had been sitting.

 

[giantpune]

Didn't even register there was a drain plug on the bottom of the tank, I will look when I get home. I rebuilt the carb but with the rebuild I am going with an upgraded intake and a new carb so I am not worried about in in that sense. I know the PO ran some pretty varnished fuel through the lines off of a little boat tank he had when I originally came to look at it, so part of me is already prepared to have to replace those lines anyways. It was last registered in 2015. He put in a new tank but never dropped fuel in it because he didn't want to drain it if it didn't sell. The good news is when I replaced the fuel pump, the gas that came out of the line from the new tank seemed fine, no sediment or crud came out of the lines. Might be worth the money to replace them with the motor though, since it had been sitting.

I dont think its a drain plug. That would just be inviting there to be a leak.

There is a rubber hose with a hose clamp there at the lowest point of the tank. Take off the clamp and pull the hose and all the gas should drain from the tank as well as back from the metal line running up to the engine. You can take off the rubber hose that connects the hard line to the fuel pump and then the line disconnected at both ends and you can blow it out with compressed air.

 

[PeteG41]

I dont think its a drain plug. That would just be inviting there to be a leak.

There is a rubber hose with a hose clamp there at the lowest point of the tank. Take off the clamp and pull the hose and all the gas should drain from the tank as well as back from the metal line running up to the engine. You can take off the rubber hose that connects the hard line to the fuel pump and then the line disconnected at both ends and you can blow it out with compressed air.

Easy! Much appreciated for the advice!

 

[jspears]

Put a drain pan under the drivers side of the transmission, under the shifter linkage where it goes into the transmission. After sitting for months sometimes the torque converter will drain into the transmission pan and the extra transmission fluid will run out the seal for the shifter lever. I had this happen about 4 times. No worries just fill it back up with Type F fluid. My car had very clean transmission fluid after all this.

 

[PeteG41]

Put a drain pan under the drivers side of the transmission, under the shifter linkage where it goes into the transmission. After sitting for months sometimes the torque converter will drain into the transmission pan and the extra transmission fluid will run out the seal for the shifter lever. I had this happen about 4 times. No worries just fill it back up with Type F fluid. My car had very clean transmission fluid after all this.

Yep have a tranny leak as well. Looks like its coming from the rear of the housing. It is coming out for a rebuild at the same time as the motor.

 

[bkdunha]

I would agree with many of the comments already shared to drain the fuel. Sounds like the rest of the fuel system you plan to replace, but if not I would also drain the lines and carb bowls. These ethanol added fuel do bad things over time. With regard to the motor if you can catch the oil leak I would do that and leave oil in the pan. To an earlier contributor I would also remove the plugs and fog the cylinders with mystery oil and then reinstall the plugs. If you just have a bad cam or a hung valve do you want to replace the whole bottom end? These steps will give you the opportunity to look at lower cost options when time permits vs. diving all the way into to a total rebuild. A rusted piston ring can pit the cylinder wall at times to require more machining vs less. Whenever I put an engine into a no run situation I pull all the plug wires and put them in the trunk with a list of needed work and fluids before attempting a restart. Won't affect your storage situation and gives a great reminder what all needs to be done before a start attempt. Pull your battery to avoid it leaking and rotting the apron. Fill your tires to max psi if you cannot put the car on stands. I also recommend the rodent deterrent in the interior and trunk areas. They can cause alot of damage in a short time. Their are multiple easy solutions to the mouse issue, but I would not forget it. They need a home from the elements and any static car is great for that parking lot or anywhere else.

 

[PeteG41]

I would agree with many of the comments already shared to drain the fuel. Sounds like the rest of the fuel system you plan to replace, but if not I would also drain the lines and carb bowls. These ethanol added fuel do bad things over time. With regard to the motor if you can catch the oil leak I would do that and leave oil in the pan. To an earlier contributor I would also remove the plugs and fog the cylinders with mystery oil and then reinstall the plugs. If you just have a bad cam or a hung valve do you want to replace the whole bottom end? These steps will give you the opportunity to look at lower cost options when time permits vs. diving all the way into to a total rebuild. A rusted piston ring can pit the cylinder wall at times to require more machining vs less. Whenever I put an engine into a no run situation I pull all the plug wires and put them in the trunk with a list of needed work and fluids before attempting a restart. Won't affect your storage situation and gives a great reminder what all needs to be done before a start attempt. Pull your battery to avoid it leaking and rotting the apron. Fill your tires to max psi if you cannot put the car on stands. I also recommend the rodent deterrent in the interior and trunk areas. They can cause alot of damage in a short time. Their are multiple easy solutions to the mouse issue, but I would not forget it. They need a home from the elements and any static car is great for that parking lot or anywhere else.

Yep definitely going to drain the tank. I'll also undo the clamp holding the line connecting to the pump to get any left over in the line. The only reason I am going with a full rebuild is because I don't know the health of the motor overall. The PO said it had been rebuilt with one of the cylinders sleeved, but lost all the paperwork. Seeing as I have 4 bent pushrods, I don't want to roll the dice on paying to have the heads done, just to find out its a much bigger issue than stuck valves or something like that. One is bent almost at a 90 degree angle and I couldn't even remove it. My assumption is something went pretty bad in there, so a full rebuild with some upgrades will give me peace of mind. Maybe jumped timing? I am not as knowledgeable as most but have a general understanding. Battery is on a trickle charger in my office, and the tires were going to be replaced anyways. Very dry rotted from sitting for years. I will definitely do some rodent deterrent though, just in case.

 

[69 Rustang]

If you drain the oil—immobilize the motor. Pull out the distributor rotor or something so it won’t run in case someone else tries to start it. I put a handwritten note on my steering wheel when I have “work to do” for my cars in long term storage. You never know what will happen to the car or you, so plan for it and help the next person even if you are helping yourself.

 

[PeteG41]

If you drain the oil—immobilize the motor. Pull out the distributor rotor or something so it won’t run in case someone else tries to start it. I put a handwritten note on my steering wheel when I have “work to do” for my cars in long term storage. You never know what will happen to the car or you, so plan for it and help the next person even if you are helping yourself.

Oh I would be the only one that would start it. But nothing I have to worry about. Battery is on a charger in my office, and none of the plug wires are connected. These are 2 of the 4 bent pushrods. The next time it will be started is after it’s towed to the shop for the rebuild. Instead of draining the fuel tank, can't I just throw some stabilizer in there instead? Then just rock the car to get it mixed up. I have 1/2 a tank or so in there.

 

[bkdunha]

I would drain it. If it has ethanol mixed gas it will absorb water even with sta-bil mixed in. If non-ethanol gas you could leave it, but being in TX if it sits through a summer I would imagine the heat would even cook that down in the tank. This may sound crazy to some, but if you have a new tank and do drain it you may also want to consider adding a desiccant drier tied to a string and dropped in the tank with the string hanging out the filler. I did this with my original tank for the 72 when the car was parked in 1998 and not resurrected until 2009. I used a sock with desiccant packets inside of it but not overstuffed to make dropping it in the tank difficult and pulling it out later more difficult. I still have the original tank and the interior is rust free. I know that is extreme, but it worked for me.