Hello, i live overseas and i need to know what is the best way to store my hot rods...at present my cars are started everyday...but only let idle in the shop...i'm only home a few weeks a year...so the cars only get driven maybe a hunderd miles or so a year...but i want them to run perfect those few weeks i'm home  

my question is...should i continue to have someone start these cars everyday and let them idle...or just let the cars sit...when i get home they always pop,spit and backfire until i get them out on the highway and run the *** out of them...major carbon buildup on the plugs...  

The two main problems I see is your gasoline not being fresh, keep the battery charged and making sure acidic contaminants aren't left in your engine.

When you store the car try to make sure the gas tank is as close to empty as you can. Then add enough gas as you will need to drive the car when you take it out of storage.

Get a "battery tender" that has a circut to keep the battery from overcharging or discharging.

Change the oil before you put the car away for the season. This will help get contaminents and acids out of your engine.

Starting the cars every day is more likely worse for them then starting them once every two weeks or even once a month. the most wear an engine gets is when it's started since the oil has ran down to the pan.

Oh, and also rotate the tires so that they don't develop flat spots from sitting in the same spot too long.  

i like what steven said...

the fuel tank system needs to be tight. including the gas cap seal .. pressure testers are available.. they look like a radiator pressure tester.... this stops the gasoline from evaporating so fast.. if cars are stored with less than a full tank. the sending unit wire wrapped resister can rust ..
gas stabilisers are available.. also..


going to a mobil 1 type of full synthetic motor oil may help cut down on the acid build up in the motor

cleaning the battery posts and battery top with hot water and using a bead of silicone sealer around the base of the posts will seal the top of the battery to the post and prevent acid vapors from coming up and corroding the battery posts..     sitting the battery on a battery acid absorbant pad is also a great idea if you cannot remove it..

keeping the tires off the floor is the best way to store them... perhaps a some custom legnth jack stands with a twist to release handle for positioning... you would want to put the car away with the suspention in as close to ride height position as you could so the bushings are not in a twist and the shock absorber rods are not extended further than necessary... in some more humid places they can rust and when put back into service cut the top seals..


these ideas are all from what i would do with an expencive hot rod...put into storage......