The Official 356Talk Forum

There is an article in the current Excellence entitled "Long Term Storage" which causes me some concern. My cars are not in long term storage, they are just used infrequently. I have a 1963 B Coupe (T6) normal and a 1987 911 3.0 Carrera. Both are quartered in my garage and are driven infrequently during the year. Probably less than 500 miles per year each. I accomplish oil changes annually as well as other maintenance as needed. Yet, I am concerned that I am not doing what these cars need, i.e. to be driven. Question is, how much to drive the cars? What do they need to keep them happy? 500 miles or 1,000 miles per year, or more? Thanks. Jim

I think most of us average about 1000-2000 miles a year.

20 to 40 miles per weekend is 1,040 to 2,080 miles per year. That is my target.

I think keeping the 356 in a dehumidified garage, and frequent oil changes are the best you can do. I put half a tank of 100LL avgas in the near empty tank in the fall, to keep the fuel from turning bad during the long New England winters. It is best to change the oil just before you park it, to make sure all the moisture is out of the engine. During the warmer months, I use it at least weekly, so the battery stays up and the carbs stay full of fuel. I might drive 1000 or 2000 miles a season. I try to run it at least half an hour when I use it, so the engine comes up to proper temperature.

[quote="Jim Beam"]Question is, how much to drive the cars?

I'll drive them for $1.00 per mile.

Norm

+1 Erik.

I follow the same procedure for the most part. I've found that it runs better each time I take it out for exercise. Driving it regularly is a great way to keep up on maintenance items as you'll notice anomalies more frequently if there's less time between drives.

Best advice is to take it out when the humidity is low, the roads are dry AND when there are not too many others out and about. Someone runs in to the rear of my Honda and honestly I could care less. But if someone were to run into the rear of one of my Porsche’s..

A lot of people treat there car as a piece a jewelry to be looked at and taken out once or twice a year That is there choice but the car was made to be driven.

Thomas I put over 50,000 miles on my last GT3, in all kinds of weather, even drove it at speed on non-paved gravel roads, for miles and miles and miles. Burned the tires right off her, a couple times. Darn thing would do 100 mph in 1st gear alone.

But I don’t abuse my 356 A. She’s old and brittle. She gets more care than most museum artifacts.

Please do not get me wrong , each to his own. but to keep a 356 in good condition it should be driven.

Thomas Sottile wrote:Please do not get me wrong , each to his own. but to keep a 356 in good condition it should be driven.

This is my plan too. How will the car tell me what to fix if I don't exercise her?

neilbardsley wrote:

Thomas Sottile wrote:Please do not get me wrong , each to his own. but to keep a 356 in good condition it should be driven.

This is my plan too. How will the car tell me what to fix if I don't exercise her?

You will know you waited too long when she barely starts and runs like poo or does not start at all. Or she will cry a little puddle of some kind of fluid (usually oil or fuel). by that time you know you waited too long and it will cost $.

what is a 1987 3.0 carrera?

I put half a tank of 100LL avgas in the near empty tank in the fall, to keep the fuel from turning bad during the long New England winters.

How do you get Av Gas ? I have tried at the local smaller airports and they say they will lose there license if they sell it to me.
One of our local shops even recommends it at 50% for the first coup[le of tanks after a rebuild.
Mark

I have found that storing the 356 in my poll shed is actually better then in my shop bay with concrete floor. The floor of the poll shed has a heavy layer of plastic with gravel over it, and the shed has plenty of ventilation/air circulation. The car is parked up on boards to get it off the ground a bit, and the floor stays dusty dry even in humid weather. It is a lot like storing firewood!
My shop is not always environmentally controlled, and gets much more humid inside with damp concrete floor. On particularly humid days, I run an oscillating fan which really dries it out.
Someday I will keep the shop environmentally controlled 100% of the time, which is of course the best way to store them, but what I have been doing has worked fine for me. I also sprayed fluid film in every blind cavity after refurbishing the car, which should help for many years.

As for driving it, I put around 2-3k on it May-October, stored the rest of the time. I have not used av gas, but find that 93 Octane stores much better then regular and it is all I put in the car. There are some stations around here that sell ethanol free fuel (for small engines, etc), probably would work fine too but have not tried it yet. I also run the 93 in dirt bikes and tractors and they are fine after winter storage. I don't know the specifics on how each grade is formulated, but I can tell you that it smells different, looks a bit different and certainly lights off a Bonfire differently!

or skip the dehumidifier and move to Phoenix. No rain in 6 months.

Everything remotely related to rubber suffers here however.