The long wait

[V8 Vum]

Probably like me, others that are in the throws of still building their pride-and-joy sometimes get a little depressed at the time it takes to get to the climax that we are all hoping for when we press the start button and can roll out of the garage with a whoop! and a huge grin on our faces!

Wish that I could spend more time and do it within a year...but no-way unfortunately!

yes..I know that psychologically speaking the anticpation is in-fact the best part...but it does not stop us dreaming the the best is yet to come!

...and this leads me to a question....

During the build we irrationally buy all sorts of stuff and stages that realistically we will not be ready to use until much later on, somethimes years on, including batteries, wheels and tyres, and so have I!

The question is...on tyres...what is the best way to protect your expensive purchase, as we all know that if not used they can deteriorate, either by being left in one postion on the ground for too long, or by perishing (god forbid). What about the corrosion on Disks etc that inevitably forms in a garage. What about the unseen poss corrosion inside the chassis - unless you have fastideously flooded the thing with waxoil? Other parts might also need special attention?

........or am I being paranoid?

Any comments or help from those who know would be gratefully received and useful to many of us I think!!!

Keith

[martinlaw]

Keith,

Regading Tyres - you can buy a spray on conditioner than will help.

the main problem in a garage is humidity and cold temps. i have a dehumidifier and a heater which stops the temp going below 10 degrees C.

Not even the brake discs go rusty all winter.

Hope this helps,
Martin.

[V8 Vum]

Hi Martin,

Any recommendations on the dehumidifyer/ heater
Are they not hugely expensive to run?

cheers

[Steve_D]

Idealy you could black bag the tyres and put them away out of the light. Not used the spray so don't know if that will work.

If worried about the discs then take out the pads and store them away. Grease the discs until late on in the build then solvent clean them ready to refit the pads.

Steve

[pilbeam_mp62]

Yes, I am in the same situation - my kit is arriving in about 2-3 weeks and I have ordered everything except bodywork, engine and gearbox.

I expect to be 18 months or more before I need those, but as I live a long way from the factory, it seems to be a good idea to take advantage of the delivery, and get as many parts as possible...

I am building in a garage which is less than 200m from the sea, and I know that salt in the air can potentially be a problem. I have sealed up all of the gaps in the garage door and I intend to get a de-humidifier and an oil heater over the colder winter months - hopefully this will protect the components.

Regards
Kelvin

[Pb3]

Paranoid? Yes, probably. I took a little over 3yrs to build mine and like you had a lot up front (so to speak!). But then again you need to, for the best body alignment you need the wheels and tyres etc. etc.

Basically, providing your garage is dry you will not suffer much with things rusting. Yes, my brake discs finished with a light surface coating but that soon goes. As for tyres I think it is road use and heat cycles that make them degrade, although they may harden a little.

[clynos1]

I believe Dehumidifiers are the way to go. Having spent many long a month in all weathers working on old cars that have wooden components in the bodywork it was a necessity. The upside is that I have never had any rust appearing on spares or the cars at any time of the year. Initially, the running cost is high, that is until you have evaporated the moisture in the garage, thereafter, not too bad when you consider the replacement cost of tyres etc.
Personally, I would not recommend an oil heater; these generate moisture as a function of the burning, go for electric greenhouse heaters for a background heat and supplement it with an electric fan heater when required. Or, if you are really flushed with funds thermostatically / timer controlled central heating!!!

[pilbeam_mp62]

clynos1 said:

Personally, I would not recommend an oil heater; these generate moisture as a function of the burning, go for electric greenhouse heaters for a background heat and supplement it with an electric fan heater when required. Or, if you are really flushed with funds thermostatically / timer controlled central heating!!!

Sorry - I was not clear - I meant an Oil-filled electric heater...but thanks very much for your other suggestions,
Regards

Kelvin

[SlackBlevens]

Considering this for my little baby:

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?productID=8...

Should keep her nice and dry!