Keeping a classic outside over winter ?
Discussion
Any tips, its a 67 Fiat 500 and we still have somewhere to put it but may well not at some point, not overly worried about it as it isnt the prettiest and needs soem work but dont want it to suffer too much, our garage hasnt room so it will be on the drive, its on a pebbled area and under a large tree so it drains well, we have a cover but not sure whether that is the best thing, any suggestions ?
I use my Amazon all year round, prior to that I've used Capri's on a daily basis... it's not a problem as long as you do the following:
Jet wash the underside of the whole vehicle, let it dry PROPERLY (you don't want to seal water against your underside!), get her up on some ramps/axle stands and give the underside a good coat of underseal (I use the type with the 'built in' waxoyl.
Get some decent cavity wax and inject as much as you can into the sills, corners of the bonnet and basically anywhere and everywhere you can.
Get some decent wax, and after giving the car a damn good wash, apply.
Some people recommend a thin film of silicone grease/spray on your rubber door seals to stop 'em perishing, freezing the door shut and letting water in... Just don't use Vaseline as it degrades the door seals.
Get any stone chips, small patches of rust sorted before the winter weather kicks in.
Flush and replace the coolant if necessary - I do this once a year in the autumn. Even though I've ever owned cars with cast iron blocks & heads, I still maintain at least a 50% concentration of anti-freeze.
Make sure your electrics are all in good order - especially the alternator as it's under a lot of load in the winter with lights and heaters on all the time.
If you're running points and a condenser, change 'em along with the cap. It’s a lot easier to do on your drive than at 3 am on a freezing cold and dark road!
Lastly, if you are not happy with your tyres for any reason, change then for some good all season ones. Classics don't tend to have ABS etc, so give yourself more of a fighting chance should you get into a dodgy situation.
All the above should see you right: and you'll have the kudos and satisfaction of knowing your car is no trailer queen that's bought out twice a year when it's sunny...
Jet wash the underside of the whole vehicle, let it dry PROPERLY (you don't want to seal water against your underside!), get her up on some ramps/axle stands and give the underside a good coat of underseal (I use the type with the 'built in' waxoyl.
Get some decent cavity wax and inject as much as you can into the sills, corners of the bonnet and basically anywhere and everywhere you can.
Get some decent wax, and after giving the car a damn good wash, apply.
Some people recommend a thin film of silicone grease/spray on your rubber door seals to stop 'em perishing, freezing the door shut and letting water in... Just don't use Vaseline as it degrades the door seals.
Get any stone chips, small patches of rust sorted before the winter weather kicks in.
Flush and replace the coolant if necessary - I do this once a year in the autumn. Even though I've ever owned cars with cast iron blocks & heads, I still maintain at least a 50% concentration of anti-freeze.
Make sure your electrics are all in good order - especially the alternator as it's under a lot of load in the winter with lights and heaters on all the time.
If you're running points and a condenser, change 'em along with the cap. It’s a lot easier to do on your drive than at 3 am on a freezing cold and dark road!
Lastly, if you are not happy with your tyres for any reason, change then for some good all season ones. Classics don't tend to have ABS etc, so give yourself more of a fighting chance should you get into a dodgy situation.
All the above should see you right: and you'll have the kudos and satisfaction of knowing your car is no trailer queen that's bought out twice a year when it's sunny...
A cover is definitely a good idea, provided that the interior of the car isn't damp when you do so and you shuffle the car about a bit (ideally take it for a little blast weekly to keep the battery charged but still letting it get all the way up to normal operating temperature while stopping the brakes from binding and the tyres 50p'ing)
I'm likely to be in the same boat myself from January as we have to move and the house we're looking at doesn't have a garage.
Some very good points above.
I'm likely to be in the same boat myself from January as we have to move and the house we're looking at doesn't have a garage.
Some very good points above.
Faust66 said:
I use my Amazon all year round, prior to that I've used Capri's on a daily basis... it's not a problem as long as you do the following:
Jet wash the underside of the whole vehicle, let it dry PROPERLY (you don't want to seal water against your underside!), get her up on some ramps/axle stands and give the underside a good coat of underseal (I use the type with the 'built in' waxoyl.
Get some decent cavity wax and inject as much as you can into the sills, corners of the bonnet and basically anywhere and everywhere you can.
Get some decent wax, and after giving the car a damn good wash, apply.
Some people recommend a thin film of silicone grease/spray on your rubber door seals to stop 'em perishing, freezing the door shut and letting water in... Just don't use Vaseline as it degrades the door seals.
Get any stone chips, small patches of rust sorted before the winter weather kicks in.
Flush and replace the coolant if necessary - I do this once a year in the autumn. Even though I've ever owned cars with cast iron blocks & heads, I still maintain at least a 50% concentration of anti-freeze.
Make sure your electrics are all in good order - especially the alternator as it's under a lot of load in the winter with lights and heaters on all the time.
If you're running points and a condenser, change 'em along with the cap. It’s a lot easier to do on your drive than at 3 am on a freezing cold and dark road!
Lastly, if you are not happy with your tyres for any reason, change then for some good all season ones. Classics don't tend to have ABS etc, so give yourself more of a fighting chance should you get into a dodgy situation.
All the above should see you right: and you'll have the kudos and satisfaction of knowing your car is no trailer queen that's bought out twice a year when it's sunny...
I know that mine should be in the garage come the winter, but I can't see me having enough time to save my rust spots before I got to Uni Jet wash the underside of the whole vehicle, let it dry PROPERLY (you don't want to seal water against your underside!), get her up on some ramps/axle stands and give the underside a good coat of underseal (I use the type with the 'built in' waxoyl.
Get some decent cavity wax and inject as much as you can into the sills, corners of the bonnet and basically anywhere and everywhere you can.
Get some decent wax, and after giving the car a damn good wash, apply.
Some people recommend a thin film of silicone grease/spray on your rubber door seals to stop 'em perishing, freezing the door shut and letting water in... Just don't use Vaseline as it degrades the door seals.
Get any stone chips, small patches of rust sorted before the winter weather kicks in.
Flush and replace the coolant if necessary - I do this once a year in the autumn. Even though I've ever owned cars with cast iron blocks & heads, I still maintain at least a 50% concentration of anti-freeze.
Make sure your electrics are all in good order - especially the alternator as it's under a lot of load in the winter with lights and heaters on all the time.
If you're running points and a condenser, change 'em along with the cap. It’s a lot easier to do on your drive than at 3 am on a freezing cold and dark road!
Lastly, if you are not happy with your tyres for any reason, change then for some good all season ones. Classics don't tend to have ABS etc, so give yourself more of a fighting chance should you get into a dodgy situation.
All the above should see you right: and you'll have the kudos and satisfaction of knowing your car is no trailer queen that's bought out twice a year when it's sunny...
Personally I'd advise against using a cover unless you can be certain that the car is thoroughly dry before it goes on - difficult if you are using it in winter. We tend to use ours all year and try to wash all the salt off at least once a week, especially underneath, left outside they don't tend to stay damp as they would under a cover. If you don't mind the way it looks all the chrome etc. can be covered in grease, oil or silicon spray.
The biggest problem I've had is with damp interiors on my convertibles (they have all had leaky roofs to some extent (and I rarely drive the current one with the top up), that is one area where a cover will make a difference, however, I've always found scratches from where the cover has been moving or where it has picked up dirt and grit. Maybe a good long term solution - fit it tightly and leave it - but not so viable day to day when you're struggling in wet, windy conditions after a hard ay at work.
The biggest problem I've had is with damp interiors on my convertibles (they have all had leaky roofs to some extent (and I rarely drive the current one with the top up), that is one area where a cover will make a difference, however, I've always found scratches from where the cover has been moving or where it has picked up dirt and grit. Maybe a good long term solution - fit it tightly and leave it - but not so viable day to day when you're struggling in wet, windy conditions after a hard ay at work.
1) Hose pipe.
2) Extending head for watering hanging baskets.
When there's salt around you need to wash the car at least once a week (assuming you've used it that week of course) - and that extending hanging basket head makes it a lot easier to ensure the bottom gets a good wash down with clean water.
2) Extending head for watering hanging baskets.
When there's salt around you need to wash the car at least once a week (assuming you've used it that week of course) - and that extending hanging basket head makes it a lot easier to ensure the bottom gets a good wash down with clean water.
I'd be tempted to raid the piggy bank and put the little FIAT in one of these . . . it will keep it safe and dry 
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html
mgmrw said:
How much are the outdoor ones?
2x cars in storage for the winter months is looking to hit us for £1000 all in
so a "at home" alternative would be useful
About £400 each, maybe a little less if you push for a discount for buying two . . . .or if you can organise some sort of bulk buy on here2x cars in storage for the winter months is looking to hit us for £1000 all in
so a "at home" alternative would be usefulspoodler said:
Personally I'd advise against using a cover unless you can be certain that the car is thoroughly dry before it goes on.
I disagree - a breathable outdoor cover is very good at letting the car underneath dry out. You can put them on damp cars and both the car and cover will dry out quite quickly.Even if the covers can lead to a bit of paint scratching I'd prefer that to leaving it uncovered and letting the car get properly soaked all the time (engine bay, all the drains, down inside the doors if the window seals aren't perfect etc).
AndrewW-G said:
About £400 each, maybe a little less if you push for a discount for buying two . . . .or if you can organise some sort of bulk buy on here
They vary in price per size? Austin 1300 would be tidgy obviously.... But a W123 merc, you're paying by the yard for the damn thingJ4CKO, you may like to try one of these. Have just bought and put one in driveway to keep MGB dry over winter. Ordered from KMS on Thurs, arrived Fri morning, put up in two hours; great service from these people and all for £149 incl' VAT and delivery
see http://www.kmsdirect.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_pag...
see http://www.kmsdirect.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_pag...
Faust66 said:
Some people recommend a thin film of silicone grease/spray on your rubber door seals to stop 'em perishing, freezing the door shut and letting water in... Just don't use Vaseline as it degrades the door seals.
Designed for the purpose - "Gummi Pflege Stift", which you just paint on like shoe polish - v good. spoodler said:
Personally I'd advise against using a cover unless you can be certain that the car is thoroughly dry before it goes on - difficult if you are using it in winter.
Its not just the dirt and scratching issue you highlighted in the rest of the post. Moisture under the cover can freeze the cover to the car, which can then be rather nasty if you attempt to separate them! mgmrw : Good idea for that money. What stops it blowing away in the wind?
I have concrete-screwed the post bases and some of the cover-skirts[using thick rubber washers]. Here tonight it's peeing-down, paid visit into new 6mx3m garage and it's bone-dry. Concrete-screws can be bought from Screwfix and are very easy to install.
As per other posts, I've used some high-quality[read expensive] car covers before and they never quite come up to the job. This week will be routing-out an indoor soft materialed non-moisture absorbing cover to keep dust off car.
I have concrete-screwed the post bases and some of the cover-skirts[using thick rubber washers]. Here tonight it's peeing-down, paid visit into new 6mx3m garage and it's bone-dry. Concrete-screws can be bought from Screwfix and are very easy to install.
As per other posts, I've used some high-quality[read expensive] car covers before and they never quite come up to the job. This week will be routing-out an indoor soft materialed non-moisture absorbing cover to keep dust off car.
v8250 said:
mgmrw : Good idea for that money. What stops it blowing away in the wind?
I have concrete-screwed the post bases and some of the cover-skirts[using thick rubber washers]. Here tonight it's peeing-down, paid visit into new 6mx3m garage and it's bone-dry. Concrete-screws can be bought from Screwfix and are very easy to install.
As per other posts, I've used some high-quality[read expensive] car covers before and they never quite come up to the job. This week will be routing-out an indoor soft materialed non-moisture absorbing cover to keep dust off car.
Thanks. Very interested now, especially as I'd only need one to cover a 16ft long, 5ft wide, 4ft tall Austin I have concrete-screwed the post bases and some of the cover-skirts[using thick rubber washers]. Here tonight it's peeing-down, paid visit into new 6mx3m garage and it's bone-dry. Concrete-screws can be bought from Screwfix and are very easy to install.
As per other posts, I've used some high-quality[read expensive] car covers before and they never quite come up to the job. This week will be routing-out an indoor soft materialed non-moisture absorbing cover to keep dust off car.
Will see, Sunday is the trial day in the OHs mothers garage, if it fits, problem solved.
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