Nova Storage

[Cormac]

Well after passing MOT 2day my 1984 mk1 wnt be on road again till at least easter, Have been keeping it in garage for the past 6 months or so, its dry but not totally damp proof, Im starting to get paranoid about the damp factor as i dont want it rusting, Ive been thinking about the various options on offter to me,

1st and prob best is to buy a carcoon to keep car in, id love to but as i wouldnt have enough room in garage to use it id have to get an outdoor one, these are quite expensive and id also be scared of car getting knicked,

2nd is to let car remain in garage and buy a good quality cover for it, like here http://www.coveryourcar.co.uk/store/product.php?productid=16492&cat=269&page=1 the underside of car wouldnt be covered tho, and how well would it deal with damp/condensation.

3rd, just keep car were it is and stop worrying, a little damp wont do it any harm if the cars well waxed and undersealed...

Now bearing in mind this car is a totally mint 1984 nova with only 11,500 miles what do you guys reckon i should do,

Cheers

[Novasport]

Sell it to me:D

As long as there is a good flow of air around the car it should be fine.
You could put some foam flooring down or carpet which may help.
Big changes in temperature & lack of air movement cause condensation.
Buy a de-humidifier which might help.
Spray under bonnet bare metal parts with WD40
Fit another set of wheels & tyres if you can
Use a breathable car cover

[just vaux trev]

fix the garage, better long term

[sport]

Im thinking about an air bubble type thing cant remember the correct name at this point, the car will be kept in a dry barn but its the dampness that could be there that concerns me.

[Cormac]

A carcoon is an air bubble..

We're getting the roof insoluted and re sheeted nxt summer so its more this winter thats the problem,

I was thinking of a bitta diy and build myself a small purpose built wooden shed with a de-humidifier and a vent, but im not a chippy and would prob end up a both and leak worse than the garage does...

[sport]

If its only for this winter could you not use the garage with cover over the car and dehumidifier, or has the garage got a serious leak?

[Royston]

Can recommend a carcoon, I have one for my Vitesse 3.5, store the car in a aluminium ex wagon body, just enough roon to get it in!

[just vaux trev]

lol car cover and old carpet sound the best bet thing to use
should be fine for one winter my garage leaking when i put mine up for the winter so i got on the roof in the rain n freezin cold wind and fixed it
she is all tucked up now,
but im moving house over the winter and the new house hasn't got a garage
so i'll be building one most prob in snow knowing my luck lol

[Cormac]

Nah its not a serious leak just a drip in onme spot in heavy rain,

Anyone any recommendations on car covers then? or are all basicly the same job?

[just vaux trev]

just not a cheap argos one i would imagine

[craig green]

Tyvek covers are breathable & about ?40 from Halfrauds. Not ideal for outdoor IMO as the wind can help it abrade the paint as I found out.....

As for storing it maybe use some moisture trap things.

Like salts in a container that absorb moisture in the air. Stand the car on some carpet as posted & leave a couple of the moisture traps underneath. Renew them every couple weeks.

[Cormac]

Thanks for that craig, intresting, must look into moisture traps, see whats available,

[Lee]

Just a few bowls of common old salt inside the car will keep the moisture at bay inside the car. My dad used to do it in his caravan years ago, and coming back to it after the winter all 5 bowls would be half full of water!

[just vaux trev]

/\but don't spill it or jack up whilst inside or you might come back to a few holes in the floor end of winter

[Novasport]

Silica gel is much better & disigned for the job. Less dangerous to leave in the car.

[dannyb]

Silica gel is much better & disigned for the job. Less dangerous to leave in the car.

We use this in the 1950s Chrysler, can be bought in bulk from ebay.

[craig green]

Silica gel is much better & disigned for the job. Less dangerous to leave in the car.

Same kinda thing as the moisture traps, though I've never seen Silica gel available in bulk unless you know someone who thieves from shoe shops.

Store it with the windows down a touch too. :thumb: & wipe the steering wheel & gear knob etc off with cleaner to avoid any meldew when you next look inside.

[Royston]

Sorry it's a small pic, can't find the original at the minute to upload a larger pic

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/1297cc/vitesseinbed.jpg

Haven't had chance to put my Vitesse in it yet, hopefully this weekend!

It is @ 15 years old now and given great service, new ones are a little different, no dust at all once in, and one year the car was very wet when put away, had misted headlamps, 24 hrs later all dry!!

[Ash]

I used those silca gel things when I stored mine, 10 of them the size of your hand will be roughly ?37 - well worth it IMHO

When the gel does go hard, chuck it in the oven for a bit and there as good as new

[matthew172]

if your putting carpet down make sure you put a underlay of plastic down first because the carpet will draw damp out of the ground if not

[ade]

Wash car with proper car shampoo (many standard ones contain sodium latheruate which is salt based (a stringent)). You need to get salt off it - even on dry roads salt from prev winter will be on car -e specially underside.

Make sure you do underside (either get it professionally valetted or get an extension to your washer and clean thoroughly - especially arches).

Dry it properly (underside too) - use a blow gun on a compressor to remove all trapped wet bits.

waxoyl all interior box sections underside of car and wheel arches - make sure its dry 1st though - make sure you do inside doors, rear 1/4's behind light housings, bumpers, valances etc...

Wax the body with several layers of proper car poliching wax - Meigures (?) or Autoglym super resin polish are good to start with.

Get a breathable cover (halfords or ebay).

Fix the garage - no point getting a dehumidifier until you fix garage and put proper doors on it that are draft excluded - otherwise you may as well plug in dehumidifier and leave it outside to suck the sky dry!

Stick heating in the garge - not gas based though (eg calor) - fire hazard and mouisture given off - plug in radiator (watch leccy bills)

Paint floor of garage - lay carpet on it.

Get some silica gel pads and put them inside the car.

Just some suggestions.

I wouldnt get a carcoon - it's a nova - might be your pride and joy but it's not a Ferrari. just make sure you waxoyl it properly.

[krobinson]

Cormac, just buy a Carcoon, you know its the only way to gaurentee the car will remain in perfect condition!

Keith

[Nick J]

My car is probably a few seconds slower on the quarter mile due to all the waxoil running through the shell! I'd waxoil/wax it to the hilt and buy a quality cover for it. moisture crystals/ radiators etc would be a bonus in the garage too If a carcoon is out of the question as these are the best option as Keith said.... Our novas may not be supercars but I guarantee some of us do treat them as such!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Streamline-Moisture-Trap-inc-500g-Condensation-Crystals_W0QQitemZ330199102229QQihZ014QQcategoryZ3 00QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Cormac]

Thanks for the info folks, its all very usefull indeed, Ill deffo be getting some moisture traps for inside car, Am off for a well after 2day so will be geting the nova a winter polish, have some carpet already so near enough sorted, A carcoon is very tempting tho..

[SRimon]

Cormac...

What you gotta think is, when it was kept in a garage all the years since new, how good was that garage then?

I doubt one winter will affect it much.

[peester]

http://retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=1198490871

[Dec16v]

http://retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=1198490871


Looking at that Fiesta in the garage, the carcoon doesn't appear to take up much of a foot-print... interesting :thumb:

[Nick J]

Looking at that Fiesta in the garage, the carcoon doesn't appear to take up much of a foot-print... interesting :thumb:


I was thinking exactly that!