anguilla1980

Thank you. I guess it comes from owning and administrating a very large automotive .com web site and owning my fair share of collector cars. I used to have a HUGE portion of the site dedicated to such information before I shut the site down due to personal reasons. If I had the time and inclination, I could go on for pages lol. If you every have any specific questions, feel free to contact me, alexclaytor@gmail.com

I'll soon own a '98 C2S once I find just the right one however I plan many modifications (manual steering rack, 3.8RS upgrade, etc) and to drive the living heck out of it Right now I'm looking for a job, I'd like to get into investing since that's what my father did but it's hard to start out in that professionally, so I'm stuck doing I.T. work to pay for my car habit

I'm a very firm believer that cars can only ever be original 1 time, once they are restored nothing matters. Therefor if a vehicle has something special about it and it's worth preserving, then you must go all out to do so. From a restoration point of view, if these original & preserved super low mileage cars did not exist, then a *correct* restoration is impossible, it would all be guess work patina wise and if a car is important it must NOT be over restored for the patina is a large portion of what makes something correct IMO.

ZSA Motorsport

tell me if you think this looks about right...i think for the moment, i'm gonna pass on removing wheels from the car. doing so i think just adds a huge premium to time required. i'm gonna take a stab at maintaining the cars with wheels on, especially since NJ winter can be mild and if a nice warm 40 to 60 degree winter day, and roads clear, i would take her/them out for the maintenance spin.

i put together this list since i'm what you call, intellectually challenged. i have a big stack of manilla folders on my desk for every open task, with notes on them, items to close, and i thumb thru it every day since i just cant remember things. my wife thinks my faulty memory is just related to her, or her folks, but really, its universal. so here is the list i was going to maintain, with columns down the right for when to do the work, one worksheet for each car. this way i dont overlook or miss something.

this was draft #1. thoughts? ideas?
(i also attached it in excel. might be a nice document to work on over time).

Car Maintenance

Weekly

Move car a tad to avoid flat spots/wheel bearings
Check air pressure in tires / take to 60
Maintain Battery with Charger



Monthly

Pull DME, Crank to pressurize Oil
then, Run Car 20, 30 minutes / once warm get a few max throttles

Check Air Pressure
Check for leaks
Fuel up - use stabili if necessary

Quarterly
Detail car
Clay, then polish/wax
Lexol Interior

Eagle 1 Tire Gloss - Spray over all plyurethan parts

Annually
Replace all Fluids with Synthetics
Brake
Steering
Transmission
Clutch
Gear
Engine Oil

Steam Clean chasis
Steam Clean engine

ZSA Motorsport

but i'll just toss it here anyway. part of maintaining low milesage cars is to minimize unnecessary expenses. one of the biggest expenses could be insurance.

fyiw, i use hagerty, and after i put a few cars on the policy, i called to moan about the net policy premium for my several cars. the agent came back a few minutes later and offered me a substantial discount, i believe it worked out to be about 27%. its was a few k$. the agent called it something like a "valued customer" discount but i think i was set up on the "he's a schmoe and unless he asks, we're gonna gouge him to death".

dad always taught..if you dont ask, you cant get. doesnt mean u cant ask nicely, but ask. ask your agents for a discounts as such and such insurance company has a lower rate. you might pocket a few beans just for asking.

regards,
steve

Allen

I absolutely couldn't agree more... I'm amazed how people pay HUGE sums of money for restored cars. More power to them, to each his own, and all that, but I just don't get that.

anguilla1980

Weekly

Flat spots won't occur in a matter of weeks, even with the compound used in our original tires. It also depends on the surface too. Moisture builds up on the cement where the tires make contact and that has great effect on how long it will take for flat spots to occur. Be sure the floor is sealed and humidity is controlled. Any flat spots that would occur over say a 1 month period, are minor enough they would go away during a very short drive. The wheels bearings, I call B.S. on this being a problem unless there is a lack of grease to coat them or an opening through a seal that would allow moisture in. If the above 2 things are not likely then don't even worry. If the car was going to stay in 1 place for more than 2 years, then it MAY be a concern, but if you were going to not move it for 2 years, even leaving the wheels on, you would most certainly have the car suspended off the ground with the suspension loaded anyway. I personally had small square pieces of very short/hard carpet with a rubber backing that I placed under each tire so the tire was not in direct contact with the cement. The rubber kept the moisture that the cement breathed from making direct contact with the tire, while moisture did built up, it was very minimal. I do not suggest putting carpet under the entire car as cement must breathe unless 100% sealed. If you put down carpet and not seal, the moisture that builds up under where the car is will have no place to go and that will cause problems. Also it was my belief that the thick carpet squares I used would slowly give over a few weeks period and settle due to the weight of the car and since the carpet was molding to the shape ever so slightly, it meant that much longer until the flat spotting may occur. That might just be my imagination though

First off understand tire pressure. If you are running an original tire, they MUST be filled to the psi noted on the sticker of the drivers side door, no less and no more. The pressure max listed on the tire is set by the tire maker as the tires max cold, they have no clue what car the tire is going to but on and the weight of the car or how it may be driven and what will be needed for a good comfort/performance/tire wear/etc, Porsche determined that and they put it on the door sticker for a reason. If you ever exceed that psi written by Porsche, you are over filling the tire anyway. Bottom line, simply fill the tires to what the tire says, then return it to door sticker psi for driving.

I would not leave a trickle hooked up only between weekly drives unless the temp is the storage is colder than 65 degrees. Temperature kills batterties, not waiting a week for the alternator to help it out. If after a week the battery can't start the car, then the battery is toast anyway. Do not throw it away though if it's the original, there are specialty companies that will rebuild it for you for top-end resto purposes!

Monthly

Pull DME, Crank to pressurize Oil (thats fine)

then, Run Car 20, 30 minutes / once warm get a few max throttles (also fine although 2 max throttles would be enough, more would be undue wear on the engine IMO, but max throttles are required to maintain correct ring wear on the cylinder walls. If you don't go max throttle enough, then when you do oil consumption and major wear will occur. If you've ever honed a cylinder and built and engine this will make perfect sense because at max RPM, the top of the piston and piston rings are extended by an ever tiny amount, in the 1,000's of an inch, and if its never run in that range, then the cylinder walls were never broken in and maintain properly.)

Check Air Pressure (of course)
Check for leaks (yup)
Fuel up - use stabili if necessary (yup. Here I'm also **** in that I will use only Chevron premium and add a bottle of Techron additive every other tank with the needed amount of Stabil. Here is a trick, on the inside of the gas cap, adhere one of those silica packs, safely so it doesn't fall, and that will help absorb water moisture build up that will still occur even when the tank is filled up.)

Quarterly

Detail car
Clay, then polish/wax
Lexol Interior
Eagle 1 Tire Gloss - Spray over all plyurethan parts
(all fine)

Annually

Replace all Fluids with Synthetics
Brake
Steering
Transmission
Clutch
Gear
Engine Oil
Steam Clean chasis
Steam Clean engine

It all sounds good.

anguilla1980

AMEN! For example, I saw a 1963 Corvette Z06 split window coupe sell @ Barrett-Jackson for less than $200,000. This one was different though, it was only 50K miles if I remember correctly. Touch up work had been done in certain areas like engine parts etc, but for a car of that era, it was as close to "original" as you are gonna get for not being fairly worn or more than a half million. Then I see a stupid '67 Vette 'vert go for like twice as much, and it was a ground up resto!!!!!!! Granted the patina a very good, not over restored, but what gives? It would make sense of people are paying more because it's a car they can drive everyday then restore again and again, but I know it's just gonna sit and be a trailer queen. That's where I just don't see the logic. The 50K miles Z06 should have been the more expensive one IMO...

Pedro356C

In 1981 a friend did inherit a bottle of Chateu Petrus Pomerol vintage 1961...he kept it for 25 more years and finally opened it last June...he found the most complex and expensive vinegar in the world...I don't know...life is too short...

Back to P-cars...if you are not planning to drive them often...when you do, take'em for a long ride...50+ miles...

TCallas

92GTA, is that you Pete? As for the revised final list, I agree with most of the items except the steam cleaning. I would highly recommend staying away from the steam cleaning of the engine and gearbox due to various reasons.

Flying Finn

I agree and would add chassis to that, since these parts don't get that dirty anyway (assuming clean warm storage and driving on a nice day) there's no need for heavy cleaning and by steam cleaning you're drying rubber and plastic parts.

By the way, excellent storage information 92GTA.

ZSA Motorsport

so, how about some ideas regarding concrete. i'm taking this warehouse space tommorrow after some remodeling. its a big space which my company is gonna use. i'll use about 2, 3k feet for the cars, the lift, etc.
what is the best way to seal the concrete.? i really dont want to seal the entire thing. what r your thoughts about the tiling system, like racedeck?, might cost a bit more, but i can pick it up and take it when i go in a few years, if i go.
or just easier to clean, lay down a sealer and be done.
what about if i'm using those car capsules which has the nice fat matt which goes beneath towhichthe cover zips onto ?

thx.

lastly, how significant would you guys consider a "seaping timing chain" "lreak". looked at a ppi on a car, it has exactly that. the dealer doing the PPI thought worst case 2,3$k to remove engine. rick @ CIM felt you could tight to torque the bolts there, mgiht do it, if not, drop engine (not remove0 and replace seals, oring,s $1500 kind of thing. u guys think thats about right? is that kind of condition indicative of anything else, that is, if you suffer that, are you also then just right about to suffer a,b,c,d leaks as well? while in there with motor dropped, is there more you should do while you've incurring that overhead?

thx in advance.
later,
steve

ca993twin

Steve,

When I had the engine in Rufus "lowered" for the wiring harness replace, I also replaced the engine insulation blanket and the plugs. Its a great time to do wires and the 2nd distribultor belt, if needed. But Rufus is very low miles, having only 106,000 miles.

DarrylH

I use this stuff, cheap and cheerful, found it at Home Depot although under a different name. Doesn't seem to show up on their web site. Takes literally minutes to lay, has some cushioning which I hope may help prevent some flatspotting. Essentially waterproof, sweeps or washes clean. 4 2' x 2' tiles are about 13 bucks CDN. No affil.

ZSA Motorsport

looks cool for sure. will that help handle the 'gases' that are emitted from the tiling...that which is causing everyone to say to seal the concrete??

anguilla1980

I've always like that stuff you mix in a bucket and roll on with a paint roller that you see advertised on TV, seems like that would be the best. You are right about not needing to do this is you use the CarCoon...

Alex

DarrylH

My understanding is that concrete acts as both a sink and a source for water vapour. You may get water vapour liberated from the concrete which can condense on metal; rust may result. You might try tightly taping some polyethylene sheeting to the floor for 24-48 hours and looking for condensation...I'm guessing that if the temperature is relatively constant, that'll be less of an issue.

These EVA tiles seem to be impervious to water so I think they'll do the job. If anybody knows different, I'd be glad to learn.