Storing a TACOMA for long period

I love my 2002 Tacoma v6 Std 4x4 that i bought in 2010 with 130257km this truck has been with me through it all.

My family has grown and i now have a 007 Taco Pro (2007 tacoma project) long box crew cab

I am not selling my 2002 but i want to store it and start to bring it back to life in the next few years.

what should i do to it before i stop using it ?

It will be stored outside for a few years then in a 24x24 garage at the cabin

it will see all the winter elements but will not be on the road so no salt

it has a few rust spots should i paint them with rust paint ?

I want this to be a cool old truck some day

I live in a harsh wet climate St John's Newfoundland Canada


Any suggestions ?

 

Continue to drive it. Don’t store it. Saves you the whole hassel.

Drive it once a week for 20+ miles.

Storing it for several years will harm the vehicle.

 

I'd change the fluids, siphon off the gas, let it run dry, remove the battery, and put it up on blocks so the tires don't get flat. I'd invest in a cover or a least a nice tarp tied down tight. Might want to consider putting moth balls or something in or under the engine compartment to ward off rodents chewing up your wires.

Or you can store it under a tarp and take it out every once in a while and drive around the block a couple times.

 

I would not store it. The rotors will form a rust layer on them, calipers will seize, kill the battery, probably ruin the fuel pump from sitting, belt pulleys will seize, tires will go flat or get flat spots on them. That does not ever include the fact that if a mouse gets into the wiring and decides to have a snack. Letting it sit will cost thousands in the long run.

 

Storing it sounds like a bad idea. Perhaps one of us could take care of it for you until you need it...?

 

Depends what you call a few years .

From having my projects sit 4 to 5 years the only real problems I had is with the Ethanol Gas it does cause issues .

The next is the Bell Cranks seizing in the brackets .

Rodents are a given I see them in my daily driver if it sits a week or two

Your frame is in the years of bad frames I can only suggest pressure washing Inside and out and using some sort of protection of your choice . *** This is the only area that might be a major concern if you can`t fabricate .

After all this is going to be a project so belts and hoses fluids are going to be replaced more then likely.

Is the truck in need of brakes and suspension work.

Being I have enough projects to last through my next life .Do you think you will ever get to this or will it just sit till the Sun goes Nova?

 

@Wyoming09

Sorry for the late reply


This was my DD for along time I have now moved into a 007 crew cab Tacoma due to family needs.

The frame was replaced few years back and rust checked yearly

I have also removed the carpet soon after I got it and put it away.

The floor was painted but needs to be done again

I took the drain plugs out of the floor

Sprayed krown over the floor and in the channel that the wires go in on the side of the seat.

I do know that the firewall seam is leaking when it rains

Removed the two hatches and sprayed krown in the back of the two cubbies

Hit the bottom of the doors and up into the door from the drain holes

Sprayed krown on the inside of the rocker panel

 

i have done this effectively before, but that was on a simpler vehicle from a simpler time. it didn't have all the electronic sensors, pcb's, mini pumps, power supplies, etc, and that's where you can't effectively prepare for long storage.

if you do forget about all that, you can go old school and "pickle" the engine to protect from corrosion inside the block by running a bit of fresh oil through the intake while cranking it over to coat it after its last run. when you revive you'll just need to deal with burning off the smoke fest on igniting. also stuff your in & out pipes with steel wool, get on blocks, un-air your tires, etc etc so many little things from there... and all those things will be the PITAs when you come back to it.

yeah I'd probably drive it myself.

 

I want to rebuild this / restore it one day into a cool old truck so persevering it is important

It will be stored outside over the winter but will be kept of our salty salty roads

I was just reading on various websites steps to store your car and a lot of it does not apply to me BUT this did

Do not apply the hand brake as it will stick on ........ and you guessed it mine is on i will have to block the wheels and release it

I am also looking into fogging the motor like you do on a 2 stroke but could only find info on doing it with a 4 stroke outboard motor

also will have to add some fuel stabilizer and fill up the tank

I am hoping to build a 24x24 garage with a loft next spring up to future summer home location, this will serve as Taco home and place to stay so we can sell the travel trailer.

 

Non ethanol fuel if available.

 

If you're going to store it outside, make sure that its on a HARD surface -- concrete or asphalt. If you have to, lay down patio stones. Don't store it on grass/dirt/gravel as there will be moisture coming up from the ground attacking all things metal.

 

There are a lot of things to do to the vehicle itself, but just a suggestion:

I'd get one of those <$500.00 carport/canopy setups and shy away from tightly covering the truck. Seems moisture issues are made worse by tarping anything left outside, but tarped over.

If you do canopy it, seal off ground moisture coming up. Same as crawlspace in a house, it's bad. Tarp over the soil and set the truck up on jack stands sitting on concrete pavers. You can then wrap the jackstands with aluminum coilstock to keep mice/rats from climbing up. Remove the tires and store in the bed.

 

Classic car guys do this all the time. Put fuel stabilizer in the tank, pull the plugs and fog the cylinders with wd-40. Put it on jack stands, baking soda or silica in the cab to cut down on moisture.

Not that big of a deal.

 

If you can store it in the garage from the start I would say yes with preventive measures mentioned above