gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys. As some of you may know, I am going to be leaving the country soon to do a post-doctorate position in Europe. Consequently, I am going to need to store my 7 for the next year, possibly two. I have never had to store it for a long period, so I need some advice. This is what I have read about storing before:

- fill gas tank to top. Add gas stabilizer
- remove battery. keep in warm place if possible
- block/jack stand car to prevent getting flat spots on the tires or dry rot
- Take out spark plugs and squirt in some MMO or oil or coat all sides of rotors to prevent rusting.

Anything else? It is an '84 GSL-SE. I was also thinking of running it with the fuel pump turned off to get most of the fuel out of the lines/injectors. It will be stored in an unheated shop. The weather is pretty mild. Usually doesn't get much below freezing if at all.

Thanks.

Kent

hammmy

I have nothing to add, other than a faretheewell. Maybe a fresh wax job to keep crap off the paint, but that's probably overkill indoors.

riceburner1r2001

iTrader: (4)

man were all going to miss ya addict for all your helpful ideas. I can see when u leave some one will bring up when will addict be back he was so helpful. and may i say again ty for doing the 2gdfis it has helped my car alot.. Good luck and hope you do well.

cpa7man

iTrader: (2)

If it were mine I would cover the car. Seems like the garage can be a rough place sometimes.

Mazdo

iTrader: (1)

When I put my car up for the winter, I leave a "dehumidifer" under the seat. It's just a small container with silica gel in the top and a reservoir underneath. You would be suprised at the amount of moisture those little things pull out of the air.

Feds

Yeah, desicant is a good idea.

I would also coat the brake rotors with a light oil to keep the rust down on those (just remember to hit it with brake cleaner when you get back)

I would keep the fuel in the lines. Where fuel isn't, air (and moisture) are. could lead to more problems than leaving stabilized fuel in there!

Oh, and a perimeter of mothballs around the base of the car will keep the rodents out of there.

Last tip: getting a TT board to Feds before you leave will ensure you have no problems starting the car when you return

anthrax

I put mouse traps and moth ***** in the car as well.

I check the mouse traps every week, I understand you can't do that.

Read the directions on the fuel stabalizer, the one I use has you add it, and then run the car so fuel with stabalizer is completely through the system. but my car is carbed, you may want to do some research on storing FI cars.

When you store the battery make sure it is not sitting on cement or the ground make sure you set it on a block of wood.

I set my car down on 3/4" plywood to help kep the tires in good condition instead of putting the car up on stand. that has worked well so far.

Make sure you leave the car out of gear as well.

I block the rear wheels, and leave the parking break off to keep the breaks from seazing up

I allways wash mine befor I put it away as well to make sure all the bird dirt and tree sap is off of it, and cover it.

Good luck with you post Doc

A

rotor vs. piston

Yes, even though it's going to be inside get a good cover for it. And you might want to by those electronic pest repelants to keep mice and the like from making your car home.

anthrax

Keep the mice out at all costs!!!

My first FB had mice in it before I bought it, not a good scene...

Feds

A better mousetrap:

1. Get a bucket, fill it halfway with antifreeze
2. Cut the ends off of a coke can, so that you are left with an aluminium cylinder
3. run a string across the bucket, suspending the can in the middle
4. smear the can with peanut butter
5. run ramps from the ground to the string.

The mice will cross the string to get the peanut butter, then the can will spin, and they will fall into the anitfreeze, which will drown AND poison them. The antifreeze will act as a preservatve, ensuring the mice will not rot or stink.

The trap will stay effective for a long time. I usually empty mine every 6 months.

skrewloose78

^^thats a pretty good idea,i have heard simailar just without the antifreeze.

and thanks for all of the other tips too guys. im leaving in less than a month to start a new job. i think i can take the car with me until the end of the year. in january ill be going over seas and cant take the car with me. i had thought about giving the keys to my dad so he can drive and take care of it for the year that im gone.

do you guys think that i should store it or not?

capt murph

Store it! That way you know it will be safe and secure.
Also : use a vinyl protectant on all vinyl surfaces, spray wires too; lift/block car up to remove weight from tires.
And the dehumidifier is a key point - marine dealers sell this product for boats.

web777

What kind of Doctor are you?

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for all the great tips, guys. I would have never though about the dehumidifier. That is a great idea. I will take your advice. The paint is pretty much crap at this point, so I am not worried about that. Once I get back, she is going to be rebuilt from the ground up (suspension, paint, engine, etc.). I can't wait for that.

I'll still be online. I made sure to get a laptop for that. Can't go that long without the club. I think that I would go crazy. Going that long without the 7 will be hard enough. You guys may need to help me through my RX-7 withdrawls.

web777: I am a PhD in Nuclear Engineering. It has taken a long time and a lot of work. I have been going to college the last 10 years. Time to move on and do something else. The post-doc will be in the south of France. It shoud be very beautiful.

Feds: You will have your board. I promise.

Kent

slashdawg00110

I can't add any storage tips but I'll offer congratulations on the doctoral degree. You might not be able to drive a RX-7 for a while, but maybe you can get your hands on one of those little Citroens and take it for a spin.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

-fresh engine oil and filter!
-unless _really_ recently done, new coolant/distilled H20 - why leave the old contaminated stuff in there?
-likewise tranny and gearbox unless recent changes done. Moisture in the oil/'box will do nasties if left un-operated
-open aircleaner and seal intake with ziplock plastic bag/elastic to prevent moisture into engine internals - likewise exhaust tips
Stu Aull
80GS stored 7-months of the year in
Alaska

bliffle

My 83 was in storage a couple of years and when I revived it there was bearing whine in the gearbox, which I figure was from moisture condensing in the gearbox. Next time I'll make sure there's a lube that clings enough to prevent that problem. I'm using Redline MTL now.

Where will you be in the south of France? Toulouse (rightly famous for it's cassoulet)? I usually spend the summer there at my wifes house in Aveyron, near Rodez. I've been planning to ship one of my FBs there but haven't gotten around to it yet. I've never seen a 7, let alone an FB, in France, but I know there's a guy in Toulouse with one (I think he checks in at this club once in a while). I believe parts are readily available from England, however. France is an ideal place to drive a 7 as it has many winding country lanes and mountain roads. The drivers are insane, but at least they're not leftlane hogs. French cars are all fun to drive, tho generally underpowered, and all have manual transmissions. They run for a week or more on a tank of gas, which is good since it costs about $50 to fillup. You will see many old Renault 2CVs, many still used as transportation by aged country folk.

A word about socializing: this means food. And food and food. Le Table. People don't go to bars to socialize, nor do they easily meet strangers at bars, etc. The best food and best socializing are at home. Even the most modest home with the most modest facilities will have excellent food. Dinner lasts for hours with several courses and endless gossip and talk about food. After attending dinner at friends homes you can easily host your own dinner with frozen food from Picard (best frozen food you ever had) and you will win host points by offering champagne before dinner (everyone lights up when champagne is offered, and there are several good $10 bottles at LeClerc, a sort of weird walmart store near wherever you are) and plenty of bread and "Badoit" fizzy water (only americans drink perrier). Contrary to what you have heard, French people are very friendly and polite and you will have no problem as long as you don't bully them. If they complain about george Bush just roll your eyes and say 'oh lala' or 'merde!'. You only need to know a few words and phrases: I have a dictionary from "SlovoEd" on my PalmPilot, and there are some phrase books like 'smalltalk' for the PDA. Restaurants are inexpensive (altho a jambon sandwich lunch at the cafe will seem highpriced, but that's normal) and if you are in the countryside look for a "ferme auberge", farm restaurant, where all the food is local and excellent (they are regulated for quality, and started because farmers were so poor they had to bribe farm workers with fine cooking).

B

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

bliffle: wow I want to go to france now! lol.

I think I'd just buy a cheaper, older sportbike if I was spending some time in europe, otherwise, ship mine across

south france stays pretty warm does it not?

to the OP:
I'd make sure you put some sort of fogging oil into the combustion chambers to prevent it from rusting up, otherwise, a clean conventional oil will work, just be prepared for it to smoke for 5-10 minutes when you DO get around to starting it up.

if the car is sitting for more than a year, you can kiss that battery goodbye... sell it when you store the car and buy another one when you get back! Definatly remove it from the car though.
leave yourself a note inside the car if you do anything strange with it in storage so that you don't forget.
gas stabilizer is vital!
I don't think I'd worry about "draining the fuel from the lines" as you won't really be very successful anyways. Shut it off normally. the fuel stabliizer will do it's job. just make sure you use enough of it.
clean oil and antifreeze is very important too.
put some mothballs under your hood.

if it's staying in an (attended) garage, they should be dealing with vermin allready so you shouldn't have to worry about that. otherwise, cats are great
...

then again, every year that I've stored mine I have never gotten around to anything and it always seems to work in the spring... so maybe all of this is just extra insurance!.

cpa7man

iTrader: (2)

Wow, doesen't this break the sterotype that all 1st gen owners are broke kids. My best friend from college is a nuke engineer he works on the west coast as well. I suppose he is a little older than you, as I just turned 50. He sure helped me thru calculus.

Good luck in France. Now come up with an Ion drive for our first gens.

bliffle

France is endlessly interesting, but you must know French people to visit (they are excellent hosts, treat visitors with great courtesy, and every French home, no matter how humble, has room for a guest to stay). Hotels are just for a special trip. Meet every Frenchman you can before you go and be a gracious guest. In France 'education' means the education in manners and socializing that your parents gave you, it doesn't matter what your degrees are. As a guest you should be graceful and amusing. And well-dressed, in the modern fashion, which means California casual, i.e., Banana Republic Khakis and shirts, which is easy to find since Banana republic is the biggest and best store on the Champs Elysee and also the most popular. Wear long pants in the evening with a crisp shirt (I have a selection of linen shirts and pants in france for warm summer evenings).

About drinking: French drink red wine, even with fish and chicken, and not so much as you think. Champagne before dinner, never elsewise. Seldom any wine drink before dinner nor at lunch (the air is sufficient intoxicant). No beer: the most famous is Stella Artois, made in Belgium, which should be a warning (I think they sell as much "Buckler" non-alcoholic). A white wine is an unusual treat, perhaps a little Sauternes (a village in the south that one ought visit just to experience the village wineshop with the golden light filtered thru all the bottles of sauternes) or Sancerres, etc. If father has too much wine at dinner then mother or brother or sister or a grown child will put a hand over his glass; and he won't protest. DO NOT drink 'Pastis' or you will turn into a helpless drunk lying in a ditch somewhere!

If Paris is the brain of france, then the heart is in the countryside, which is everywhere beautiful. Every French person is at home in Paris and has a family village in the country. It is quite different from here.

B

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for all the great advice, guys. This forum never ceases to amaze me on the amount of knowledge present here.

Biffle: Thanks for all the advice about France. I will be in Aix en Provence and working in a lab just north of there. We will fly into Paris and stay a few days there. I then will probably be going to a conference in Avignon for about 1 week and then will move into Aix. The area looks very beautiful and the weather is nice. I think that it will be a lot of fun. I only have to work about 35 hours a week at most and I start with 5 weeks paid vacation. Pretty cool, huh? There is so much that I want to see. I hope to take short weekend trips around France a couple times per month and then visit Italy, Spain, Germany, etc. when I have more time off. I may need to stay there for 2 years to get everything in. I don't know. The pay is much less than what I would get here, but the experience will be awesome.

cpa7man: I may not be a kid (I am 28), but I am broke. Part of being a student. I have actually owned my 7 since I was 18, so I was a broke kid then. I do love my 7. People wonder why I would like such an old car so much, but they need to drive one to understand. Once I get back for France, I will have the time and money to do all the things that I have wanted to do to the 7. She has been somewhat neglected the last several years. It is time for her to get pampered.

The shop is on my grandparents propertry. I don't think there has been any issues with mice there. I can also have my father or my cousin throw the battery on the charger from time-to-time to keep it in good shape.

Thanks again, guys.

Kent

Feds

LOL Kent, I was mostly kidding. If you can't get the board done, I'll rig something up.

As for being a broke kid: 25 and design suspensions for GM (for 2 more days) then moving to John Deere to design tractors. Oh, and I run a resto shop on the side.