The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Dormant Truck...

Hey fellas, I was just wondering how long a perfectly running/ functioning truck can sit unused before trouble starts. I am going out of town for two weeks this Christmas and just wanted to know if I should have a buddy come by and drive my freshly restored '46 2 ton once or twice while I'm gone. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Adam

I don't think you will have any problem at all as long as you are good with your antifreeze. I have had the clutch stick after leaving the truck outside for a couple of months.

That being said, why not give your buddy a thrill and ask him to drive it while you are gone?

Kurt

I wish I were your neighbor and I would volunteer to drive it twice a day for you!

two weeks is nothing, two months maybe, two years for sure, I wouldn't worry about it. I have so many cars that some of them have sat for six months with no problems.

Shouldn't be an issue, but if yer worried, run some Stabil in the fuel and put a battery minder on it.

Other than that, two weeks isn't a big deal... it is a Chevy after all.

-W

I would definately have a friend come by and drive it.

Are you interviewing for friends????? ;-)

Good god Gertie or Gatsby, that's not dormant, that's just giving the old gal a rest.
Dormant would be over a long six month winter.

After rebuilding most all of my running gear and driving my 1950, 3604 for several years
I parked it in the fall of 2009 with a third of a tank of fresh fuel in her. I tore the whole
front end off for painting and sent the short block out for machining. I didn't get
everything back together till a few weeks ago (Sep, 2011) and added some fresh fuel to
the tank and have been up and running now for a few weeks and about 600 miles.
Been thru several tanks of fuel, one oil change (break-in) nothing else rebuilt (referring to
the carbinator and driveline seals. I did change to a new dual stage fuel pump and I also
added an inline fuel filter right after the fuel shutoff at the tank.

So turn off the key, and have a nice vacation and like your cat, your pride and joy well be
just fine left all along for a few weeks. And unlike your cat, you won't have to put out 7
cat litter boxes, 10 pounds of dry food and 5 gallons of water.

DG

I let my MGA set from October till April and have no problems. i have stabil in it and also Lucas gas treatment. i have been doing this for over 43 years and it starts up each year ok.

Thanks for easing my mind, guys. After all the work I put in, I guess I'm just being paranoid. I told my wife I wanted to cut our trip short so I could get back to my second love (the truck) and she almost killed me. Now, all I have to do is open a photobucket account so I can submit some photos to the gallery.

Adam

I just put Bertha to bed,('72c50) mid November in her usual parking spot near woods, take battery out, stabil in gas, she always starts in spring, I wish I made the barn bigger, the '66, our '98 one ton and my son's '83 chassis are in there already. (All Chevys)