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For electrical system, remove battery cables (negative cable first) and lift out battery. Wipe battery with battery cleaner to take away any moisture-holding dirt or grease. Place battery on a clean, dry surface, like a block of wood or a stack of bricks. Now hook up a trickle charger. These are designed to preserve battery’s charge over a long period of time. While battery is out, inspect battery rack for rust or corrosion. Clean and repair any damage as necessary.
Lubricate hood latches, hinges and door hinges white lithium grease to keep air and moisture out. Have a look at brake fluid. Brake fluid will soak up moisture from air, causing your brake system to rust and corrode. Get it flushed and filled with clean, fresh fluid if it hasn’t been done in two years or more. Check coolant level- ensure it is topped off to proper level. Also check coolant’s protection level. It should be low enough to protect cooling system from winter temperatures.
Because rodents and other small animals like to chew ignition wires and wiring harnesses, stuff clean rags into engine air intake, fresh air intake under windshield and tail pipe. A neat trick a mechanic told me about is to get a big box of mothballs and spread them out around and under car- for some reason smell works wonders at keeping undesirable creatures away.
Tires are prone to developing flat spots if vehicle will be sitting for longer than five or six months. To prevent this you should get a set of four jack stands. Jack up vehicle and place jack stands under lift points of vehicle (usually lower control arms or under frame) If you have a dirt floor, place pieces of 1" plywood under jack stands to prevent them sinking into dirt.
Remove wiper blades from wiper arms to prevent them from becoming glued to windshield and leaving marks. The last thing you need to do is- nothing! That’s it. Lock up and enjoy knowing your precious car is sleeping in suspended animation, awaiting your return.
D.Demetre is an author and webmaster at http://www.caroom.us, where you can read about car restoration .