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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Long term storage of a truck

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FarmerSid

04-01-2007 04:05:23




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Hey all! Got a question for you all. One of my best friends past away at the age of 39 in a tragic snowmobile accident on February 7th 2007. His wife wants to keep his truck for her son to drive when he turns 16. It's a '97 dodge 1500 ext cab with 318. It has 2 month old 35" mickey thompson tires on it. Another one of by buddies has space in a barn to store it. We were both wondering what we should do to it to prepare it for long term storage. Her son is 8 yrs old right now so it will be in storage for quite some time.

Any help you all can give would be great.

Chers!

Sid

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Leland

04-01-2007 17:24:30




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
I agree sell the thing put the money in the bank and let the kid buy one ,this truck will set and just fall apart , My MIL put my FIL's 95 dodge in storage in 99 when he died and WE DRAINED ALL GAS TOPPED OFF FLUIDS AND SPRAYED FOGGING OIL IN IT . And now it's costing a small mint 8 years later to get it running right as everything has sat and rotted seals leak hoses and belts are all cracked it smells from rodents that found a way in shame a truck got ruined that had only 35,900 miles do her a favor talk her into selling it

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Roy Suomi

04-01-2007 14:40:54




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Jack it up , run it out of fuel , Spray oil into the cylinders via sparkplugs and turn it over once to coat them good , oil the body [ including rust areas doors are notorious , front fenders and rear wheel wells ] , Throw a box of dryer sheets in the cab and cover it up..And forget about it , except to add more dryer sheets every 6 months or so...



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FarmerSid

04-01-2007 14:02:30




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Thanks for of the all the replies people. I really appreciate it. He was a good buddy and miss him so much. The rest the the boys have yet to have a good sit down (beers and buddies was his favorite) and have a good celebration in Brad's honour. I'm from eastern Ontario to answer someone elses question. The barn is the only place we have to store it right now. We were thinkng of filling the crank case with oil till it came out of the valve covers to prevent valve seals from drying out. The truck body has no rust and the truck as a whole is in great shape. Our plans right now are to undercoat the crap out of it, put it up on blocks on the frame and put the tires in one of our houses to try and protect them till they are needed again in 8 yrs or so.

I'm very touched with all the replies I got from you all and appreciate it. We are trying our best to help out his son and wife. We all are just as good a friends with his wife and family and we were with him.

Not to add more sorrow to the story but his wife's father had a massive heart attack at Brad's wake and passed away. Just added more to what Brad's wife was already going through. My buddies as well as my wife and I were good friends with Brad's father in law too. It was alot to take for our small community.

Cheers!

Sid

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FarmerSid

04-01-2007 14:01:11




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Thanks fo of the all the replies people. I really appreciate it. He was a good buddy and miss him so much. The rest the the boys have yet to have a good sit down (beers and buddies was his favorite) and have a good celebration in Brad's honour. I'm from eastern Ontario to answer someone elses question. The barn is the only place we have to store it right now. We were thinkng of filling the crank case with oil till it came out of the valve covers to prevent valve seals from drying out. The truck body has no rust and the truck as a whole is in great shape. Our plans right now are to undercoat the crap out of it, put it up on blocks on the frame and put the tires in one of our houses to try and protect them till they are needed again in 8 yrs or so.

I'm very touched with all the replies I got from you all and appreciate it. We are trying our best to help out his son and wife. We all are just as good a friends with his wife and family and we were with him.

Not to add more sorrow to the story but his wife's father had a massive heart attack at Brad's wake and passed away. Just added more to what Brad's wife was already going through. My buddies as well as my wife and I were good friends with Brad's father in law too. It was alot to take for our small community.

Cheers!

Sid

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msb

04-01-2007 13:06:35




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Didn't read all the replies so what I say may have already been said: If the truck is not to be started every few months, after running most of the gas out of it, fill the tank with aviation gas. It doesn't deteriorate like regular gas does.Don't park the tires on a dirt floor. Use some wood blocks under the tires. Spray the tires every six months with silicone spray to keep the rubber in good condition(excludes ozone). Silicone oil is nothing more than liquid glass beads and it takes 6 months for it to run off. Just spray the tops of the tires after about the first 3 months. If rodents could be a problem, keep a few mothballs in the cab. Yes, they will smell, but that is better than mouse urine. Keep an open box of baking soda or some charcoal in the cab to absorb the stale air if mothballs are not used.Keep the whole truck covered and out of the sunlight that could fade the interior.There is a thing called closet fume fade in the clothing industry, so some occasional airing out is a good thing too.

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KIP in MX

04-01-2007 11:31:00




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
My 1989 F-150 has been stored in IL and now MO since 1992 and only gets started and driven by my FIL every 2-3 months for a few miles, and my wife and I use it 1-3 weeks a year when we´re in the states. So far the only problem has been in the last few years with mice building a nest in bellhousing causing clutch to not engage completely (fixed that) and mouse nest in heater box (fixed that). The only reason I have kept it is to keep my auto insurance current so I don´t have to start insurance from scratch when I move back to the states.

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VADAVE

04-01-2007 11:06:55




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
I stored one about 3 yeatrs ago planning to store for about 15 years. Her is what I did.
1) Wash and wax it good.
2) Put it in place then up on jack stands to preven the springs from taking a set.
3) Started it up and got it warm then killed it with a lite machine oil--I tried WD40 and it just kept running. But I knew the manifold were coated.
4) Shut off, pulled the air cleaner to the maniflod and stuufed an oily rag in there tight. Same thing to the exhaust pipe, mine was new and tight to the engine so I stuufed the tailpipe--tight.
5) Put in mouse killer and a tray of kitty litter. The kitty liter will absorb water. Replace these each year.
6) Cover with a soft moving blanket or two and cover theat with a blue tarp.
She should be good for a long time.

Good luck.

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flying belgian

04-01-2007 09:24:32




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
I wonder if you could put kerosene in a hand sprayer and coat the truck top and bottom. It would be a dusty, oily mess in 8 years when you come to use it but it should wash right off.



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Walt Davies

04-01-2007 08:12:53




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Take it to Arizona and leave it out in the desert. Or sell it and invest the money in a good Money market that will pay at least 8 or 10 percent. CDs and bank accounts will only deplete it You need to stay above the inflation rate.
Walt



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MSM

04-01-2007 07:51:00




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Putting sentimentality aside,sell the truck,put the money in a CD or Money market and in 8 years there should be sufficient funds for the kid to buy his own vehicle.



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John S-B

04-01-2007 07:42:17




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
A barn would NOT be a good place to store it. Rodents, insects and too much moisture. It would need to be stored in a cool dry and well enclosed building or garage.



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Bill in NorthCentral PA

04-01-2007 06:54:53




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Around here we store them on a wood floor rather than a concrete floor. If thats what you're dealing with, cover the floor with wood, plywood, etc. before you run the truck in.

Pretty cool that you are helping your buddy out like that.

Bill



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D17 man

04-01-2007 06:37:35




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
hm, thats a long time to store a truck. i agree with what someone said below by driving it once a week. sorry about your friend. where are you located because a little ways away from me i think in northfield, MA there was a tragic snowmobile accident this year



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Mike M

04-01-2007 06:12:13




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
That's a long time to store it , especially a newer truck. I bought a smaller suv to drive to save some gas and my truck didn't get ran much in 1 1/2 years and it started falling apart fast when it wasn't driven every day.

It's allready 10 years old,likely to be starting to rust up real good by now and won't be much left in 8 more years. I say either drive it or sell it because I don't think this new stuff is going to hold up well in long term storage.

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Midwest redneck

04-01-2007 05:50:52




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
The only thing that makes sense to me is to drive it once a week, for 20 minutes. By driving it will get air circulated around the body panels to dry the moisture to prevent rust. By driving 1 time per week it will also let new gas be put in every 6 weeks or so, change the oil once a year and if you can get a dehumidifier in the garage. My 2 cents. 8 years is a long time to store a truck.

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zach mignot

04-01-2007 05:49:16




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
Well if your going to store it for a long time drain all the gas,oil and raditor fluid. Then take the tires. Put the truck on blocks but make sure you have somthing putting pressure on the springs or they will need to be replaced. THen put the tires in the back of the truck make sure there is no air in them.If you do this correctly it will be perfect when you go to start it up and drive it any time in the future. Also make sure you leave a peice of paper with what you drained on the seat or else you will forget.

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RayP(MI)

04-01-2007 14:58:33




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to zach mignot, 04-01-2007 05:49:16  
Much better off if you don"t drain radiator fluid, even better would be to replace all fluids with fresh, Antifreeze, oil, tranney fluid, differential lube. Do a grease job. Other suggestions are good.



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Vern-MI

04-01-2007 05:35:57




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to FarmerSid, 04-01-2007 04:05:23  
I suppose you could fog the cylinders and put the frame up on blocks. That would not keep the tires from rotting or keep the grease in the linkages from drying out or the gas from stagnating in the lines and tank. I don't know if fuel stabilizer would work that long either.

Probably the best way to save it for the future is to run it once a month when the weather is dry and sunny. Change the oil at least once a year and the antifreeze every two years. That way it lubricates all the seals and keeps the various items moving in the seals. Park it in a dry garage when not in use.

When my FIL died my MIL would not let anyone touch his car for three years. She even left his kandkercheif sitting on the front seat right where he left it when he died. After about three years she suddenly had a change of mind and wanted to get rid of it. A death of a loved one, especially a spouse, really hits a lot harder than we sometimes realize.

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WvaJim

04-01-2007 06:52:17




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 Re: Long term storage of a truck in reply to Vern-MI, 04-01-2007 05:35:57  
Worst thing about storage and especially in a barn would be mice and the wiring. mice and rats love to chew and eat the wiring on vehicles and can make a mess of wire harnesses in a hurry. just something to think about. Jim.



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