Wow, some barn find!

mtn wrote:

alfadriver wrote: Based on the posts, I expected to see a ton of rusty cars. Dirty, sure. But I'm not so sure about rust. Better than if they were on bare concrete- as that does promote rust.... Seen that happen. Dirt is good and breathable. Bet some of them would drive with less than a day's worth of work.

What would the best surface be for long-term storage then? Asphalt over dirt? Gravel? Epoxy?

Good question- I know I've seen cars stored in a dirt/gravel garage and a concrete one- and only the concrete ones had corrosion.

Someone explained why, once, but I can't recall it right now.

And would expoxy or even a concrete paint make it better??

and I think the environment matters, too- IIRC, the uncontrolled weather fluxuations on concrete is a problem....

Concrete will allow condensation to form on the surface in a damp, unconditioned environment. That surface moisture will then evaporate, and meet with the steel parts. But it won't condensate if the area is conditioned.

Asphalt is more porous. It breathes better, and allows moisture to pass through it. So, if the moisture is on top, that's a good thing. It moves away from the vehicle. But if it is under the asphalt in the soil, it will wick toward the car.

I've seen some dirt floors that were dry as bones. But I have also seen some that are wet enough to support vegetation and compress a fistful of dirt into a ball (or worse).

I don't think the important thing is the surface type. The soil, moisture under, vapor barrier, drainage, ventilation, and conditioning will all matter more.

Yeah I think this guy's a hoarder. If the cars were at least stored better and maybe wiped down a couple of times per decade, I'd think differently.

I held on to some VWs for a while and a neighbor asked me if I wanted to sell one of them. I told him that I was going to get to it "one of these days." It made alarms go off in my head to hear that coming out of my own mouth.

That was the beginning of my complete sell off of VWs. Sad thing is that two of the more valuable ones went to a guy here in Fort Worth who hoards old VWs. He paid thousands for them and neither has moved since the day I drove them there. They are just sitting on blocks buried in his shop along with all his other VWs.

That video makes me sad. I really hope that someone manages to rescue these someday.

The hording term gets thrown around way too much ever since those damned TV shows came on. It's not like the barn was filled with used tuna cans, broken shoelaces, and every newspaper since 1935.

Back during the first fuel crisis of the '70's values of all the big V8 cars sank faster than the Titanic. Deals were everywhere on cars like the ones in that barn. Guys that didn't care about the gas price bought up cars they liked because they could. Wasn't necessarily for a future investment. The cars probably got stashed in the barn as other deals came up. The cars didn't start appreciating in value until the later '80's. In the '70's they were just used cars with little resale value.

I don't see it any differently than a farmer parking an old piece of machinery that they may or may not use again. It's paid for, and they have the space.

My neighbor across the street has 11 cars in a big barn and a bunch of parts in the attic. Now in their 70s but once active in the local Ford club. Hank passed, the widow contacted a "family friend" who took what he wanted and jacked the price on anything remaining.

Hank had intentions of restoring these right up to the day he died. Some sat so long they came out in pieces when pulled on.

Too bad.