It all depends on the mission of your museum and whether you want the
vehicles to be functional or if you want them to be preserved as other
collections are. There are similar arguments for the use of historic
musical instruments. There are good cases for functionality and equally
good arguments for non-use.

If you do not intent vehicles to be functional then you should mothball the
vehicle - which means draining ALL fluids and running solvents through to
clean and degrease (many organic oils and lubricants contain fatty acids
that can, over time, attack metals, rubber,plastic, etc. Disconnect and
remove the battery. Mount the axles on blocks or stands to take the weight
of the vehicle off of the tires. If you want to start the vehicle once or
twice a year it is easy enough to put the fluids back in, hook up a
battery, run it for a short while - then drain, clean, etc. If the vehicle
is stored in a good environment there should be minimal deterioration. If
it is essentially in a barn or shed then a higher level of monitoring and
maintenance are required. It is not true that there will be accelerated
deterioration in the engine and transmission if the cars are not used. As
long and the fluids are drained and are cleaned with solvents that clean
and degrease then they should be largely stable as long and the environment
is stable.

For the best advice on this I would suggest contacting institutions with
similar collections with a professional staff - such as the Peterson
Automotive Museum, The Henry Ford Museum, etc.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator and Museum Consultant
[log in to unmask]
Los Angeles CA

On Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 10:56 AM, Jackson, Martha
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:

>  Recently Bob Hopkins, Exhibits Manager at the North Carolina
> Transportation Museum, wrote the following for a statewide collections
> blog.  Bob also manages the automotive volunteer program at the museum:***
> *
>
> ** **
>
> We have had problems with fuel going stale in our operational vehicles if
> not driven often enough.  We tried to keep minimal fuel in the gas tanks,
> but with some vintage vehicles, it’s difficult determining that level due
> to primitive, lack of, or faulty fuel gauges.  Then there’s a question
> about protocol when leaving fuel in an exhibited vehicle at all.****
>
> ** **
>
> Our non-operational fleet is drained of all fuel and the vehicles are
> place upon jack-stands.  One of our auto volunteers, (Bruce McKeon)
> developed a portable fuel system that we have commenced installing within
> our operational fleet whenever practical.  Details on this can be
> provided.  He should pattern the idea, but at least should get credit
> whenever discussed.****
>
> ** **
>
> As far as how often the operational collection is driven actually depends
> on the vehicle.  We have developed an “exercising’ schedule of every three
> weeks.  This was determined by the number of volunteers, work hours and
> number of vehicles on the schedule.  A rule of thumb, an operational
> vehicle should be driven a minimum of 17 minutes, no less than once a
> month.  We try to exercise our operational collection at least a half hour,
> every three weeks.****
>
> ** **
>
> Why 17 minutes?  17 minutes is enough time to evaporate the condensation
> in the exhaust system and to get coolant rate up as it flows through the
> engine.  Some vehicle’s batteries are recharged only when the vehicle is
> moving, not just running (like in modern cars with alternators).  The
> vehicles need to be driven for a half hour or more; and then sometimes at a
> minimal speed to keep the batteries charged.  Otherwise, we’d need to place
> them on a battery charger.  But there are other benefits for exercising the
> vehicles too, such as; water and fuel pumps need to be worked or will break
> down, brake systems need to be worked or will lock up and fail, etc.****
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> _______________________________________________________________****
>
> ** **
>
> Martha Battle Jackson, Curator****
>
> Division of State Historic Sites and Properties****
>
> 4620 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC  27699-4620****
>
> 919-733-7862 ext 236; fax 919-733-9515****
>
> [log in to unmask]****
>
> ** **
>
> ________________________________________________________________****
>
> ** **
>
> E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to
> North Carolina Public Records Law "NCGS.Ch.132" and may be disclosed to
> third parties by an authorized state official.
> The views expressed by the sender may not reflect those of my agency. ****
>
>  “The future, though imminent, is obscure.”  ~~Winston Churchill****
>
>  ****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>]
> *On Behalf Of *Anna Bassford
> *Sent:* Monday, June 11, 2012 12:58 PM
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* [MUSEUM-L] Do you start your cars/tractors?****
>
> ** **
>
> We are a small museum and part of our collection focuses on the
> agriculture history of the area. In our collection we have a few antique
> tractors, trucks and cars. Recently some board members have argued that by
> not starting the cars we are letting the gears lock up and the engine
> deteriorate. I see part of their argument but I have worked in museums
> previously and they have never done this with their cars. ****
>
> My question to the group is, for those of you who have cars in your
> collections, is starting the cars occasionally and letting them run for a
> minute or two part of your presevation of the internal workings for the
> car? I have also contact some automobile museums but to no avail. ****
>
>  ****
>
> So far they only want to do this to the cars that came into the
> collections in running condition and just let them idle or maybe move them
> a foot or two to rotate axles. I also have concerns about  this being a
> dangerour slippery slope. Allow this and then they will start wanting to
> move them further, use them etc. As anyone faced a similiar situation? What
> was the result?****
>
>  ****
>
> Anna Bassford****
>
> Director/Curator****
>
> Santa Fe Trail Center****
>
> Larned, KS 67550****
>
> ** **
>  ------------------------------
>
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