Lets Discuss Winter Storage in Less Than Ideal Conditions

[ed1948]

A good number of us put the cars to rest while the weather turns ugly for some months. Some have the luxury of a climate controlled garage where all that's needed is a dust cover.
Lets throw around ideas of good and bad outdoor exposed to the elements storage. This applies to driven vehicles and stored project cars.
>I'll start with, what I believe, is a poor method. This applies to the typical weather around the Great Lakes region - a winter consisting of freezing cold followed by damp cold rainy periods.
- Throw a plastic tarp over the car and tie it up tightly around the body. While this may keep rain, snow and dust away from the car it does not keep damp air away. With temperature variations, the moisture laden air under the tarp condenses and collects water on all surfaces. The tarp prevents air circulation under it and everything remains damp.
If you have no alternative to the above method, cover the car with a cheap breathable cloth car cover or even a bedsheet and then loosely cover with the plastic tarp positioned just to keep rain and snow off the vehicle on the horizontal surfaces. The idea is to keep water off but allow air and wind circulation to flow under tarp to dry surfaces. Also throw a tarp on the ground if parked on dirt or grass and devise something so water does not pool under car.

 

[McGillicutty]

Here is what I did last year (my first year with this car) and again this year. I bought a multi-layer cover from carcovers.com. Its a loose but secure fit. It has elastic around the edges and came with some tarp clips. On windy days it puffs up like a marshmallow, unless there is snow to weigh it down. I also bought a six pack of desicate bags. I threw one bag on each floor mat and two in the trunk. A mechanic friend told me to give the engine bay a light spray of WD-40. I shot some inside the frame holes as well. She's parked on an asphalt with a good slope. I do not salt the driveway, I use sand. The battery is in the house. Moisture isn't the only concern. I do not want critters to get comfy under there because I have all original wiring and everything works except the power antenna. If anyone has better ideas, I would love to hear.

 

[ed1948]

I wonder if closing the heat flap by setting the HVAC all to off would stop rodents making themselves comfortable inside.
Wondering about loose fitting car covers - would they abrade the paint due to wind moving them?

I've been using WD40 for decades on engine compartments during winter storage - keeps aluminum parts from getting chalky.

I think newer wiring insulation is more tastier to rodents. I've been winter storing cars 40 years in unheated garages and have had mice visitors but never any wiring issues.

 

[565bbchevy]

One year when I was working on my Monte I stored my Lincoln outside and I put in a car bag designed for inside storage but I put the bag in my Harbor Freight portable garage that I keep up year round putting a large tarp down before laying the bag down and then closing the whole thing up, it came out just like I put it in but the downside was I had to deal with my daily driver not being sheltered for a winter.

 

[joesregalproject]

Good topic. My Regal is lucky and gets parked inside the garage with a light cover over it. The garage isn't climate controlled, but it is attached, so it doesn't get very cold anyways.

My truck (see "My Ford Truck Project") unfortunately sits outside. Even if there was a space in the garage for it, it's too tall and long and doesn't fit. Also, I still rely on it for occasional transportation (<300 miles during the winter) maybe a couple times a month, so I can't put it in full hibernation mode.

So what I did last year was this. I wash and wax it really good before anything. Put some dryer sheets inside of it to deter critters. I park in near the edge of my driveway where there are no trees or anything to fall on it, so for the most part, it doesn't get dirty sitting. It stays on the driveway which is asphalt so it is not parked on dirt or rocks. Pennsylvania is not a very sunny area, so I forego a cover. Covers whipping against the sides of a car can wear into the paint, and also can trap humidity. Also snow is a good insulator, so my thought (maybe wrong) is any snow sitting on top of the body should provide some protection from UV, and when it melts it evaporates quickly because there isn't a cover on the body. I don't salt my driveway, so the truck for the most part avoids salt exposure. I pump the tires up to 50 psi to try and help avoid any flat spots. I throw Sta-Bil in the gas tank, and I try to start it up and let it run anytime we get a warmer day, and I do drive it a little bit so it isn't sitting totally still.

Also the body cavities and underbody are sprayed with Fluid Film which has been a pretty good rust inhibitor so far. I highly recommend it.

 

[olds307 and 403]

It is a tough one. Mine are under tarps, most of the time it is too cold for humidity to build up. I wish I would have kept my breathable cover, it would have went well with a tarp, why didn't I think of that? By itself, it worked like *ss, would get wet, freeze and stick to the car. I may pick up two more cheap on sale and have as an inner layer. Any outside storage has it's down side, period.

 

[McGillicutty]

A couple more things came to mind..
When i bought the car, the TA's were flat spotted from sitting a very long time. When I park it for winter, I spin the tires to point the flat spots upward to try to normalize the tires. It has helped to the point that I don't really need to replace the TA's. Also I don't use the parking brake when it is parked for several months in cases it seizes. I block the tires instead.
Good point about rubbing the paint. My paint is blemished enough already that I want to repaint it some day. When I do, I will seriously consider making some kind of no contact shelter.

 

[Wraith]

Anything you put on the paint will rub it no matter what, even if you cover it in doves. Jack it up to prevent flat spotting on tires, throw big cans of desiccant in the interior, and leave it outside uncovered, no different than being rained on in the end.

 

[airboatgreg]

I am fortunate here in SW Georgia but I store mine in a barn that is partially open to the weather. Roll the windows down an inch and put a car cover over it. I will get rodents in it if I leave it for a bit. Have to put a mousetrap in once in awhile.

 

[Griffin84ss]

These all seemed to be good ideas as I haven't heard of using the wd-40 to spray the engine bay since I have the engine out and at the machine shop for now it just sits on asphalt with a elastic car cover over her since I have heard about the wd-40 I'll spray the undercarriage thanks guys and I will be following this for more great ideas.