At some point in the restoration of your car, you may have to pack it into cold storage. Perhaps you’ve run out of money for car parts and you need to hold out until you can find some. Or, where you live, it might be winter, and you don’t have the luxury of a heated garage.

Whatever your reason, there are some fundamentals that almost go without saying to properly store your car for the hiatus.

Clean the outside of the car thoroughly, and make sure the paint is protected with a good coat of wax. After vacuuming and dusting the inside, use dessicants on the floor to keep moisture and mildew out.

Increase the tire pressure to prevent flatspotting and leaks, remember as it gets cold the pressure will drop. Finally a good car cover will be just what the doctor ordered for that bit of final protection inside the garage. Fill the gas tank.

Internally, you’ll want to prepare you car by changing the oil just prior to storing it. If moisture evaporates out of old oil left in the motor, what’s left will condense on the internals causing corrosion. Probably it’s a good idea to change the transmission fluid as well. Some people recommend loosening the plugs and oiling the sparkplug holes to prevent the rings from corroding and sticking to the cylinder walls. If your car is still in part stage, protect each part from moisture according to procedure and store.

Place the car on a sheet of heavy plastic or vinyl on the garage floor, this will prevent moisture from the floor from condensing on the car’s underside. Remove the battery and put it on a battery charger or maintainer, preferably someplace warm with good ventilation.

It doesn’t hurt to have devices like a hydrometer or temperature gauge on the garage walls and also inside the car to measure humidity and temperature. Throughout the storage period, check occasionally on the car and/or car parts to make sure no moisture has rusted or impacted any material. With proper attention to detail, you’ll make it through the storage period with flying colours.