Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

When parking my 1940 160 in my garage, I used to put the car in neutral and put on the parking brake. My mechanic advised me against leaving the parking brake on, especially for longer periods such as in the winter, and advised me to put the car into first gear with the parking brake off. The garage is level and I can use chocks if necessary. What is the better recommendation - first gear and no parking brake or neutral and parking brake?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I would never leave the parking brake on with a car in storage. I learned my lesson when moving and found a couple had seized to the drums which make it very difficult to get the out of the garage! If not on any kind of slope, though, I see no reason to leave them in Park but rather in neutral with wheel chocks.

Don is correct. You should not leave it on for long periods and there's also no point at all to doing it when you are on level ground. Just put it in first and it won't go anywhere. Use wheel chocks if you are still nervous about it 😀

I'd put the car in reverse if it is going to sit in storage for a while, and leave the parking brake off. It's also a good idea to step on the brake pedal a few times every month or so, just press and release it, no need to push hard. I'd also push the clutch pedal to the floor and release it a time or two. Operating the clutch pedal will prevent the disc sticking to the flywheel or pressure plate, and pressing the brake pedal several times will prevent cups sticking and will restore residual pressure in the hydraulic system. Doing that helps prevent leaks by keeping the cups set and keeps air out. In the case of mechanical brakes, operating the brake pedal periodically prevents stuck brake linkage parts. I would NOT start a car that is in storage unless I was going to drive it on the road for ten miles or more. More is better. Batteries need attention when in storage. They need to be kept clean and have a charge from time to time. Tires also need to be kept inflated, and if you have room, roll the car a couple of feet forward or back every month or so, so that it is not sitting on the same spot on the tires for long periods.