Needing some advise on putting my 13k mile 05 GT. Into
Long term storage "SAFELY" (10+ years).

Don't really know what can be done to keep the engine protected from not being used??

 

10 years?! What's the plan for it? Just hold onto for value or savin it for a kid? Just curious. Sorry I have no help here but I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who have cars stored for long periods of time

 

Well.... I bought it as sort of a retirement present to myself.
II have an 08GTCS conv. sees an occasional sunny summer day.

I'm looking at storing this in a relatives extra garage where it likely won't be driven at all! (I do back it in and out of the driveway currently.)

Just a bit paranoid about letting a car sit that long... Don't want the internals rusting or seizing.....

 

That's quite a period of time to have something sit. No matter what you do there will be some storage issues after you wake the car back up. These modern cars usually don't seize up but the other components will get seriously tested, especially the a/c. Normally when cars sit for a year or so you simply clean the car, change the oil, put in STA-BIL in a full tank and pump up the tires to max pressure to nullify flat spots, and of course protect against 'critters'. Mice can destroy a car from wiring to interiors.
It's a different ball game with a 10 year outlook. My neighbor has a dozen collector cars and they have been sitting for the most part the past few years. They are very low mileage original cars. He has some problems with the brakes needing to be worked on after long periods, and for the cars that had gas in them, the tanks needed to be drained. This ethanol gas is just nasty to store. Don't even think about it. Suspension parts can sag and of course the tires will no longer be good afterwards either due to age. A new battery will be needed and probably many other rubber or plastic parts even if kept in a climate controlled garage. It's just the way it is if you want to seriously drive the car again after 10+ years.
I don't know if this is possible for you, but making the effort to retrieve the car every year (with the more simple steps of storage) and driving it for about 50-100 miles in that one day will keep the car alive and the parts functioning. I understand the problems maintaining a low mileage car, as you can tell by my '87 SS, and by my neighbor's cars, and I'll just say that no use at all really hurts. It can be done but it will be quite an effort. Good luck with everything!

 

^Agreed. It's going to be hard on the car to sit for that long.

One way to negate the flat spots on the tires (though you may have to replace them anyway) is to place the car on 4 jackstands to get it off the ground. Also seems like it might be good to drain as much fuel as possible from the tank.

 

Thanks for the input guys.
I suppose driving the car 1day a year shouldn't be a problem.
And I plan to start it at least a few times a year... I suppose That should help.
Didn't think about the possible mice issue....
That would be totally unacceptable!! So I guess I'll have to keep a much closer watch on the car than originally planned and get out in the road as much as possible..

 

Happy future retirement
Guess it didn't cross my mind when I posted the other day but I bought a 03 mach 1 off an older couple back in September with only 6k miles on it. They told me there was a couple years where they only got it out maybe twice the whole year. It still looks show room condition minus a couple rock chips which happen. Still even has the new car smell 11 years later! They had an expensive car cover on it that kept dust off it as well. As far as keeping mice away not real sure what they did there to prevent that. But the car has been running great for me so far with no issues. I still have the original tires on the back I need to probably get those off soon they make me a bit nervous

 

I'd also place a few soda boxes in the car... Same stuff you put in your fridge for moisture.
If it was going away and not being started I'd put it on stands for sure and even go to the extent of removing the brake pads to ensure no issues with them being ceased.
I'd remove the plugs and put a few tables spoons of oil in the cylinders and put the plugs back in.
Spray liberally 10w-40 over metal parts to get rid of any moisture content.
Fuel tank full of fuel with stabilizer and run it through the system before adding oil to the cylinders of course.
Change trans fluid and rear end fluid and make sure the coolant is good....to ensure no issues I'd even change the coolant ever few yrs to ensure it never go acidic on you....put a flush T in the system so you can easily do it from your hose.
Depending on your rims I'd even wax em up as well so no moisture sets in.
Hope this helps.

 

cryogenic lab, put it right next to Ted Williams.