Off to Canada...

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Hi guys - I am still telling people about the meet we had when I came over Christmas 2012

Many fond memories and it was great to meet some of the Melbourne crew.

Life has now taken a different turn and we are off to Canada for a few years to see how it goes.

On the verge of taking the JDM 2.0GT spec.B ( now with Ohlins R&T ) but not entirely sure of how the Canadian import regs go - so we may get it imported later...

[Stifull]

Because they drive on the Right hand side of the road you will have to do some mods to the car. For a start you will need to get different head lights. I am not sure if I would like driving a RHD car in a LHD country. I have a friend that has an imported 1970 "Bullet" reproduction Mustang 390gt that is a real PITB to drive as it is LHD .. They have had Legacys in Canada and the US forever and by the time you pay freight, import duties, compliance etc etc it would be cheaper to buy one there and get all the goodies you want and still be cheaper than taking yours and sitting on the wrong side every time you go out..Still it would be sad to leave the old one behind. When I bought my LIB I couldn't even contemplating selling my much loved WRX..We now have 2 of them stored under the house ..
Maybe if only going to be a couple of years you could store it safely under cover and on blocks.

[bigBADbenny]

That’s so good! And a little sad
Would you consider putting the car in storage if export is no go? If

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Most likely is to store it with family in a garage here.
Any advice on things to do to store it - and make it less likely to be stolen if garage was broken into would be appreciated

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I would prefer to get a local car really LHD, maybe a hugely powerful pickup
I did contemplate getting a local Liberty and swapping over my 'good bits' but would be a huge amount of work - give me something to do in the 6 months of winter I suppose...

[Stifull]

Storing it with folks so it can be started occasionally is the best plan. Removing the wheels and storing them separately is also good. It's good for the tyres not to be sitting in one place with the weight of the car ballooning one section and also stops the car from being stolen and with the car sitting on blocks it can be safely started, and put through the gears so everything gets a regular coating of oil. Give it a new oil filter and oil change before you leave. Also put a cover over it even if it is in a garage to keep the dust off. And make sure the folks you leave it with do start it once a month...EVERY month. Also get storage insurance if it's not covered by the home insurance, which it may be. Disconnect the negative battery terminal so the battery is always charged enough to start it and run it for 10-15 minutes with it in gear/drive so the boots, shafts etc etc get turned . We have 2 GC8s stored. One Sti and a CSE2.. They both get a drive every month. The sti just around our rural estate as it is no longer registered and the other I take for a spin around the local mountains every few weeks... They are both good to go at any time. They are parked in neutral with the handbrakes off so we can move them around a little to save the tyres from sitting too long in one place without having to take covers off to get in the cars.

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Thanks for the advice...

What about disabling ignition for anti-theft purposes? It's quite loud - so it would be noticeable if it were started up in the middle of the night!

[Yowie]

What about disabling ignition for anti-theft purposes?

Perhaps pull the fuel pump fuse? (or similar fuse to essential item/s)

Not overly sophisticated, but convenient. Presumably a thief doesn't have all day to diagnose why the car isn't firing up.

[Ric]

Hi guys - I am still telling people about the meet we had when I came over Christmas 2012

Many fond memories and it was great to meet some of the Melbourne crew.

I've got the t-shirt to prove it
Good luck with the move!


n.b. meetup thread here
There's a few photos on page#3
but all the photo links on page#4 are dead.

[bigBADbenny]

Grab a basic ctek trickle charger, leave a window open.
If you’re leaving the wheels on, chocks to fit the tyre circumference are available, to prevent flat spotting.

Tips courtesy of the Harrys Garage YouTube video on the subject.

There’s also tips regarding how much fuel to leave in, iirc its a full tank to prevent rust, you can always add a little octane booster on recommissioning.

I’d also get some rodent traps as some of the looms etc are apparently tasty

[Ric]

...
There’s also tips regarding how much fuel to leave in, iirc its a full tank to prevent rust, you can always add a little octane booster on recommissioning.

Apparently adding this stuff before storing it really works.
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sta ... 23945.html

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Thanks for the tips guys... unfortunately the garage I will be using does not have power - so trickle charger is not an option.

another question - my aircon has lost gas - is it worth getting it sorted and recharging it before I go? - or something to leave until it needs to be done?

I have not done many miles this year due to lockdown... Fueled the car up on 20th March - locked down 23rd March - next fuel in on 27th July

Thanks for the link to my visit Ric - it was great to re-read that. I hope you and Marge are doing OK with the chinese bat flu shenanigans...

Cheers

Mick

[Ric]

s... unfortunately the garage I will be using does not have power - so trickle charger is not an option.

Sunlight?
https://www.jaycar.com.au/12v-1-5w-sola ... r/p/MB3504


Otherwise, either remove it from the car, and keep it topped up where there is power, or make sure it's started every couple of months, and run long enough to top up the battery.

[bigBADbenny]

I’d be a little wary of storing in a garage with no heating or ventilation available.

Eg a column oil heater with the thermostat set to the dew point would be good to control condensation.

Is there an active hot water system in the garage?

[Stifull]

Re aircon... Loss of gas is usually because the "O" ring seals in the connections are perished . When you get a regas they should put 3 things into the system... The gas, UV dye so they can see leaks with a UV light, and oil to keep the seals in good condition. Unfortunately, people don't know to run their aircon for 10-15 minutes every couple of weeks during winter etc to keep the systems seals well oiled.. so ..they dry out and leak. If it needs a regas I would leave it go till you get back. Make sure when you Park it, the aircon is set to turn on when the car is started so it gets circulated every couple of weeks and get it regassed when you get home. Someone made a comment about vermin eating wiring etc.. Good point.. They will strip wires and also build nests in the engine compartment. I once opened the bonnet of a Forester that someone had left stored at a friends place for 2-3 years. It was under a tarp in their yard which was a terrible plan from the beginning...Anyway you could not see the engine. The entire area on top of the engine was hidden under long grass and leaves and bits of rubbish that several generations of vermin had dragged in for nesting.. I would strongly recommend that you put some owl friendly rat poison in the shed... You can make your own with sugar, salt and plaster of paris.. They eat it, get thirsty, have a drink and then set hard as a rock....It's as quick as poison but wont effect predatory native birds like owls, frogmouths, etc...