So I'm going to temporarily lose my garage space currently dedicated to the tube-frame roofless car shown in my avatar. Problem is that I need to cover the thing, and my experience is that even if you cover it in a tent or car cover, condensation happens. I've got various electrical components, unpainted steel and other such that I do not want corroding. What, short of building another garage is the recommended answer to this question?
Rent some garage space from a friend or neighbor? Rent a storage locker big enough for it to fit inside?
There is a house in a neighborhood near me that has a car covered by a "bubble" like this:
Might be an option
How about Wd40 or similar on electrical, and a quick coat of clear lacquer on raw steel? Easily cleaned off in future.
In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
Park on top of a tarp. Then when you cover it. Make sure any run off goes over the bottom tarp.
You can tape the bottom tarp up on the sides of the car and then cover it with shrink wrap.
Tarp and bungee cords can allow enough airflow to prevent condensation while keeping the rain off.
In reply to Shavarsh :
The bubbles like that require the vehicle to be stored inside. I had one a long time ago that also said that, but if you carefully covered the car, put it in the bag (with it's desiccant), and then covered that- it should work like a charm.
In reply to alfadriver :
They do make them for outdoor use. https://www.carcoon.com/product-range/vehicle/outdoor/outdoor-carcoon/
How long of a time period are we talking about? I'd think about renting a storage unit; some of them do the first month free.
Cover it with a car cover (NOT plastic), then put a temporary tent over it, with an air gap.
Cover keeps most dirt and moisture out, lets any that gets in, back out (plastic will trap it in). Tent keeps condensation and rain off cover. Air gap allows any moisture on cover, or bleeding out, to dissipate.
Parking it on plastic is a good idea if it's not on concrete or asphalt, although I would be careful about pooling or puddling.
I stored a car outside for many years like this, with little effect (Northern California in the hills, so not super humid but did get rain and snow)
In reply to aircooled :
I'm in Norcal also and I think that I like your plan best. The cover could be one of the breathable variety that's primarily for indoors.
Rent a storage unit. I had my roofless Viper on one for 2 months this summer and it was everything I needed. Super friendly staff, secure, and weatherproof.
Any home brew effort will not be as nice and will ultimately end in disappointment.
Look at it this way. You can spend $200 in materials and a whole weekend building something that will leak, have humidity issues, and collapse at the first storm, plus be so permanent you cant get your vehicle out of it without serious deconstruction, or you can spend a few hundred and put it in a building specifically built to store things and keep them safe in bad weather, and it only takes 10 minutes.
When you are scrubbing flash rust off every surface, fixing damaged electrical, and reconstructing your shelter on day 2 of a 4 day storm, any potential savings will not be on the forefront of your mind.
In reply to 93gsxturbo :
Depending on the location, renting a storage space may be $200/month or more.
Security is a concern in a storage facility. Even if the vehicle isn't likely to be stolen, people who break into storage units looking for stuff to steal aren't above trashing things just because.
If I were going to pay to store it somewhere, I would look for something designed as vehicle storage (and be prepared to pay extra for it). Putting it into a Storage-R-Us 10x20 pod is not the same thing.
You'll need to log in to post.
