I kicked the Rice Rod outside so I can start bodywork and paint on Datsaniti. But the frame isn't painted...or even finished. I'm worried about rain causing rust in places I don't expect. Is it as simple as a giant tarp and some bungee cords? Should I wrap all around the underside or just stretch it tightly over the top? Or maybe some sort of temporary lean-to roof or carport? Keep in mind I am renting.
On the bright side, being forced to see this car outside in the elements may finally motivate me to work on it.
El Camino could survive outdoors better than the rice rod, yes?
Why not just hit it with a layer of weld through primer before you store it? Also since you are parking on concrete instead of dirt, just a tarp on tarp with bungees sounds fine to me
It's gonna rust. Don't dilly-dally.
That, or let it move on to another home?
You say rust, but it's a rod, did you mean patina?
MrChaos said:
AngryCorvair said:
El Camino could survive outdoors better than the rice rod, yes?
this
Not according to my insurance policy
To paint the whole frame, I'd have to remove the cab, which I can't do without a gantry crane I left behind at my old house. Might be able to hit some exposed parts of it though.
Unless it's completely wrapped with a bunch of dessicant packs in it, it will rust.
I wouldn't worry about it too much though. Since the whole thing is getting torn apart again (right?) you can just Ospho everything before you paint it. As long as there's no crusty rust flakes Ospho should do the trick.
maschinenbau said:
MrChaos said:
AngryCorvair said:
El Camino could survive outdoors better than the rice rod, yes?
this
Not according to my insurance policy
Sounds like it's time for a new policy / company.
Indy-Guy said:
maschinenbau said:
MrChaos said:
AngryCorvair said:
El Camino could survive outdoors better than the rice rod, yes?
this
Not according to my insurance policy
Sounds like it's time for a new policy / company.
Sounds like collector car/specialty insurance. Most won't cover a car not kepr garaged.
pirate
HalfDork
3/31/19 5:10 p.m.
If it is outside even if covered it’s going to rust from the humidity. There are a number of spray can or pump spray rust preventatives that you could try then wrap with with a poly tarp. Even if you can only get to parts of the chassis it would be better then nothing at all. WD 40 makes a long term rust inhibitor, there are also several cosmoline sprays.
How about wiping down the frame with whatever's in the used oil/ATF jug? I noticed there's already a ton of surface rust just being stored in the garage.
Wrapping it up in a synthetic tarp is going to hold in moisture, which will accelerate trust and possibly cause mildew and mold if there's any upholstery in the cab. You need to have airflow underneath any cover.
If you can stomach the power bill, something like that portable garage, seal it up as best you can and stick a dehumidifier in there with it to keep the humidity down as much as possible. That should minimize rust.
FWIW, with me keeping my garage at or under 50% humidity and it only sometimes briefly getting to 60-ish percent after parking a pair of wet cars in it, the Jeep sat for 3.5 months and didn't even have visible surface rust on the brake rotors.
In reply to maschinenbau :
How long will body and paint take? Two, maybe three months? Either get a different insurance policy for the El Camino or rent a storage unit to store either it, or the Rice Rod. Probably less than the cost / time for rust proof & tarp.
AAZCD
Reader
3/31/19 6:01 p.m.
The HF 'garage, or similar is good. A good quality car cover or boat cover could work if you can't put up any sort of structure. Consider laying plastic sheeting or a trap underneath - Moisture comes from the ground too. I use 'Fresh Cab' to keep rodents out of the interior and away from wires. Overinflate the tires a few pounds to prevent flat spots.
Emotionally, commit to storing it and not trying to do a little bit here and there. Wrap it up. Protect it. Leave it alone until you are able to dig back in, deep.
I think it's better off pushed outside and left to the elements than to seal it up in a plastic bag poorly, which will let moisture in, and then keep it there.
NOHOME
UltimaDork
3/31/19 6:44 p.m.
I would evict the El Camino. As far as the insurance rider, it would go under the old Chinese saying of " "Heaven is high and the emperor is far away". Translation, what they don't know wont hurt you and I won't tell.
If you do nothing else, get a few cans of etch primer and spray what you can spray that you dont want to turn orange.
Pete
Harbor freight garage for datsanity bodywork - keep all the dust out of the garage and it’s also a paint booth
I never had a garage and always had project cars that were non-running for up to 18 months in a row. Sometimes parked on asphalt, some other times parked on dirt. Yes, after a while you start seeing orange specks on certains surfaces, but a little scotch-brite and it's gone. I leave my current car on dirt all winter long with a car cover on (one that is made to go outside and vents itself) and never noticed accelerated corrosion. I wipe the underside of the car with rust-check anti-rust once every six months. The one time I noticed accelerated corrosion was when I stored a car in a damp garage. The zinc plating on the coilovers started corroding, the oil pan rusted etc... Mind you, those cars were fully painted, not sure about bare metal... But I think that for a couple months you won't go from bare-metal panel to rusted-through. Make sure water doesn't pool anywhere and it can dry after rain.
In reply to Patrick :
Huh, didn't think of that one. I was just going to hang plastic on the walls of that half of the garage so I don't have to worry about rain.
If you're already dealing with surface rust don't worry about it. A tiny bit of rust is no less work than a full patina, and trying to oil it etc will just make degreasing more difficult.
Just keep it covered well enough water doesn't pool on anything.
Tarping vehicles has always backfired on me. As others mention it creates a Tupperware effect where there will be higher humidity inside. And then what happens is insects will love the nice, hot, slightly moist vehicle you have created and wasps in particular will invade and build nests in every nook and cranny they can find.
