The first cold morning of the year has a way of settling the question. The truck has been fun for six months, and now it has to go somewhere warm, dry and out of the way until April.
How it goes there matters more than most owners think. A classic truck is rarely damaged by being driven. It is far more likely to be damaged by sitting, and the damage tends to be quiet: stale fuel, a flat battery, flat-spotted tires, a mouse that has moved into the glove box. Most of it is preventable in an afternoon.
Start With the Oil
Change the oil and filter before storage, not after. Used oil carries acids and moisture left over from combustion, and it is better to have that sitting in a drain pan than in the engine for five months. Drive the truck long enough to bring it fully up to temperature first, so the moisture has a chance to burn off, and do the change while the oil is warm.
Feed It Properly
Fill the tank most of the way, add a fuel stabilizer, and then run the engine long enough for the treated fuel to reach the carburetor or injectors. A fuller tank leaves less room for condensation. If you can find ethanol-free gasoline locally, it is a good choice for the last tank of the season. Our piece on protecting a classic truck's fuel system goes into why.
The Battery
A battery discharges slowly even when nothing is drawing from it, and a discharged lead-acid battery that sits in the cold can be damaged for good. The simplest solution is a smart maintainer, which tops the battery up without overcharging it. If you do not have a maintainer, disconnect the negative cable at least, and bring the battery inside to a spot that does not freeze.
Tires and Brakes
Tires that sit under a heavy truck can develop flat spots. Add a few pounds of air above the normal pressure for the season, or lift the truck onto jack stands placed under the frame or axles so the weight is off the tires. Be careful with the parking brake. In a damp garage, shoes can rust to the drums, so many owners leave it off and chock the wheels instead.
The goal of storage is not to preserve the truck. It is to make sure nothing happens to it.
Covers, Critters and Moisture
Use a breathable cover, not a plastic tarp. A tarp traps moisture against the paint and any bare metal, and it will do more harm than good. Keep the cover clean on the inside, because grit on a cover acts as sandpaper in the wind.
Mice are drawn to the same dark, quiet corners that make storage attractive. Block the tailpipe and air intake with something obvious, a rag with a bright tag so you cannot forget it, and set traps around the truck rather than inside it. Check the cab and engine bay for nests when you come back in spring.
Resist the Urge to Start It
Many owners like to start the truck once a month, just to hear it. This is usually worse than leaving it alone. A short run does not bring the engine or the exhaust fully up to temperature, so it creates moisture instead of driving it off. If you start the truck, drive it, and for long enough that everything gets truly warm. Otherwise, leave it asleep.
Waking It Up
In spring, check the fluids, look under the truck for drips, remove the intake and exhaust plugs, and take the tire pressures back to normal. Spin the engine over without starting it, if you can, to bring oil pressure up before the first firing. Then give the brakes a careful test before you ask anything of them.
A truck stored well comes out looking exactly the way it went in. That is the whole point.
