simmeth

I have had my 99 Z28 sitting for about 4 years now and am finally getting around to bringing it back to life. I finally moved it from the spot its been sitting in. I was wondering what the chances are of the suspension still being good.. it had just reached 100k miles when I put it to rest. Car was not suspended at all, tires went flat and that's about it sitting on the grass. Wondering if anyone else has let a car sit for so long and what issues they encountered. Just want to get an idea of what to expect so I can budget properly.

Thanks

99VetteFRC

Change the oil and blow up the tires... start it and deal with the issues like any other car issue.

LeanPocket

iTrader: (6)

drain the gas tank, pour new fuel into it, change the oil, air up the tires, charge the battery

simmeth

Sorry, I forgot to mention I'm doing a motor swap because I threw a rod. So battery, tires, engine etc. is getting replaced. Just wondering if its likely for me to run into any suspension issues along the way so I can save some funds for that. 99vetteFRC you are right. On another note, anyone know any websites that deal with stock parts that are preferably on clearance?

99VetteFRC

There is a junk yard not too far from my house called Cntemporary Corvette. they are in Wrightsville Pa and they are online and ship. They also have a selection of Camaro and TA parts.

TransAmWS.6

I wouldn't be surprised if you got some squeaking and strange noises for a while from the suspension components from it not being driven and just sitting in the same spot out in the elements. For your stock parts, I would keep an eye on the classifieds section on here, and look through your local junkyards/salvage yards, that is where you're going to get the best deals on that kind of stuff.

82cetuner

iTrader: (9)

i have almost all the stock suspension for sale out of my 02 ws-6
shocks
springs
LCAs
Panhard bar
Torque arm

and possibly the ws-6 swaybars


pm me if you have a need for any of it

IRONFIST

Chances are pretty good that if you have suspension issues you'll notice once you start driving it around. Might be fine tho. I have a car the same year as yours, and I can say the stock shocks are probably going... With the age I'd replace them.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Sitting out in the grass for several years may have caused some accelerated wear to the undercarrige in terms of rust and/or bushing rot. But otherwise, it would be no different than sitting inside for many years.

Back in '07 I brought an old Cadillac out of storage that hadn't moved for 7 years. It was in my garage and I sold it to a friend. It had zero suspension related issues from sitting, and even the tires rounded back out after a while of being driven.

My main concern would be the gas in tank, unless someone dumped a whole bunch of Stabil in it first. It will likely need to be drained. Not too much else to worry about since it's getting a new engine anyway, might want to flush the heater core and radiator before hooking everything up to the new engine. Also, inspect the brake lines for any rust-through damage due to sitting on unpaved ground for so long.

BOBS99SS

iTrader: (2)

^ this is all very good info,never ever let a car sit that long on the grass!!!!!!

simmeth

Thanks for all the good information everyone. Much appreciated. Unfortunately I didn't have much of a choice with where it went. I'm hoping to have time to make a thread about the progress as I take care of any issues that arise.

Jeep_junkie

I let my Camaro sit in a friend's yard for only 2 months and my number 1 issue was frickin bugs. There was an entire colony of tiny little red ants living in it. Make sure you eliminate any such surprises before you decide to go for a drive!

98cherrySS

iTrader: (2)

Good advise.

Fbodyjunkie06

iTrader: (10)

Mind sharing how you got them out? Bug Bombs? This could get good as I can see a guy about my size with a flashlight crawling through his camaro and all the sudden realizes his entire right hand is covered in fire ants. Then the next best part would be after I realized my hand was on fire and I tried to escape from a 2 door coupe that a 6 ft. 2" 215lb man should have no business crawling around on his hands in knees in to begin with.