Planning For Outside Winter Storage

[Bill Lee/Virginia]

I need to begin planning for winter storage of a Tudor Model A outside in a carport. Winters are not extremely cold here, just wet and humid. The carport is on a cement pad with approximately 4 inches of gravel with no insulation between the ground, gravel and cement. I have a sturdy roof and one walled side inside a 6 ft locked wooden fence that softens the impact of the wind. Most metal items stored outside rust rather quickly since I am located only several miles from the ocean. Would the heavy duty plastic tarps sold by Lowe's/Home Depot suffice as a floor and 3 sides for approximately 6 months? I need your advice and information. Thanks in advance.
Bill Lee/Virginia Peninsula

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi Bill,

Humble opinions & a few things to consider:

1. Most important suggestion is to wash your car prior to storage for any length of time. Why?

2. Dust & dirt can collect moisture -- wet dust can hold moisture longer & promote rust faster than clean metal.

3. People that drive cars often blow the dust off while driving -- stored cars collect dust -- this dust holds moisture & when mixed with air it promotes rust -- ferric oxide.

4. Tarps blowing loosely in the wind can easily beat up a car's finish if the tarp is not securely fastened to a wall structure or weighted down on the floor.

5. Tarps resting directly on cars cannot only beat up a metal paint finish; but, can also form vapor barriers that can prevent moisture from evaporating from the metal, thus causing rust.

6. Drain radiator? ............. or, Provide freeze protection for radiator & block?

Hope this helps.

[BobbyG]

would one of those car tents - carcoon i think they are called be a good idea for your location?

[bogdonj]

Pay attention to treating the engine also! I can't stress this enough. Change the oil, run it up to operating tempature then shut it off and push it into its place. Drain rad and flush the block with antifreeze. Fog each cylinder so the valves don't get stuck. If you are going to cover it with a tarp Dont use a heavy one. The car has to breath with the different changes in temp.

[Mitch//pa]

salt air is probably one of the worst things for the car to be around and you seem to be concerned enough to post for advice here. I was wondering what have you done in the past and also during the summer months? Not having an enclosed environment in those conditions i see no quick fix other than bandaids. Do you have the resources to find a climate controlled self storage spot or maybe a local person in the community would rent their garage space.

[glenn in camino]

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First do all of the above and then consider a really good breathable car cover. Big Sky, a company in Montana makes great breathable outdoor car covers. I would park the car on a plastic sheet and cover it with a Big Sky car cover.

[Tom Wesenberg]

At the very least I would wipe a very oily rag over all bright work. I like to use a syphon sprayer to coat the bottom of my car with ATF.

I learned in the early 70's what placing a plastic tarp can do to the paint on a Studebaker. I placed a plastic tarp on my 1959 Studebaker, then placed some weight on it to hold it in place. A year later the roof paint had lots of little bubbles in the paint from rust forming under the paint.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi Bill,

Might add that the moisture that you usually see on your carport slab and are most concerned about, is most of the times moisture generated by condensation of warmer moist air on a warmer humid day coming in contact with your colder slab as opposed to moisture rising from the ground.

Your 4" of gravel under your concrete slab that you mentioned is your moisture barrier to stop capillary action of ground water from rising from below.

Many brands of polyethylene film, (visqueen), initially placed on top of gravel under a slab decomposes in a short period of time -- the polyethylene film is provided mainly to keep the wet concrete from trickling down into the gravel vapor barrier down below at the time the concrete is placed.

If you place a blue tarp on top of your slab as you mentioned, you could trap moisture under the tarp that would take a longer time to disappear through evaporation.

[BudP]

I rent garage space from a neighbor for the Winter months for an antique roadster. It probably comes out cheaper than the cost of temporary measures. I start the car and let it run for 20 minutes or so every 2-3 weeks during the Winter.

[tbirdtbird]

Several alarming words and phrases in your post:
wet, humid, wind, "Most metal items stored outside rust rather quickly", ocean.

Yikes !!!!
As a former east coast resident, (now dry north Texas) who put up with all that nonsense for too many yrs, I urge you to re-consider, and find true indoor storage; else the life of your paint, metal, and upholstery will be considerably shortened. No matter what you cover the car with the weather inside that covering will end up being the same as the weather outside the covering. More quickly than you think.

When you live in an area with this type of climate, you have to have a total beater that you don't care about as your daily driver that you leave outside. That was my massively rusted '89 F-150. Your really good cars have to go in the garage. And yes clean and wax the car and smear a thin coat of vaseline over all the bright work, even tho inside. Get a full box of Bounce dryer sheets and open it up and spread them all over the inside of the car (not just a few) to keep varmints out.
Get and use several of these re-useable dessicant packs from Walmart inside the car:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stack-On-S...-Pack/14707414
This is to protect your upholstery from getting that nasty mildew smell.
Use fogging oil as mentioned to protect the valves, and block off the carb air intake with tape, and leave the choke pulled all the way out. Tape off the exhaust pipe so no critters go in there.

good luck!

[Ted Duke]

I would respectfully suggest that you NEVER cover your car with a plastic covering. Don't ask me why. I just know from experience. LOL

Seriously, the moisture trapped or condensation is NOT a good thing for metal.

Ted

[dr.j]

tbird,
thanks, you identified the product I need for my inside boat storage and as usual it is not available in Canadian Walmart's. Well, another 20 minute drive to the Walmart in Ogdensburg NY is in order.

[RonC]

Will a shipping container work for you?

[Chris in WNC]

Drain as much gasoline as possible then run it till it dies.
Close up the exhaust pipe, carb intake and oil filler tube tight to keep varmits out.
Get one of those moisture collection buckets at Lowes, put it on the back seat floor, check & empty it frequently.
Put lots of moth balls inside including under the back seat.
good luck......