car storage

a_crazy

Member
Hello gents , I was looking for insight on storage of the model A. I would assume I am not the only one that has ever wanted to know about the do's and don'ts of storing, so I tried to do a thread search and was not able to readily find what I was looking for . I would appreciate some direction, and am happy to hear your insight.
 
How long are you planning on storing the car?

What type of environment will it be stored in? Garage, barn, storage shed, outside, heated, need more information?
 
well I was thinking a rental storage unit .. like the metal storage buildings ... but my research found they are too expensive in my area ... over 100 dollars a month.
 
well I was thinking a rental storage unit .. like the metal storage buildings ... but my research found they are too expensive in my area ... over 100 dollars a month.

OK? What are your other storage alternatives?
 
Whatever you do, be concerned about potential mouse damage that can ruin upholstery and wiring. The mouse pee and feces smell can be hard to get rid of. The little critters can squeeze through very small cracks and holes. I don't know how they can do it, but they do! I use mothballs in a pie pan with holes drilled in the plastic cover. That way only a little amount of the mothball chemical is released, but enough for a mouse not to like the smell. Also the mothballs last a year or two since they are mostly contained in the pie pan w/lid. This has worked for my over the years.
Rusty Nelson
 
I'm going through this same process myself. So far in my area it's been very difficult to find rental storage or I may not be looking hard enough.
 
Active storage here is not cheap.We used to be able to store cars in the old PK Lindsay compressor/sandblaster factory for $50.per month.That was for dead storage.No in/out when you wanted.just bring your car in and pick it up in the spring.Now we can store cars in the buildings at the Deerfield fairgrounds,same deal.Put it in,leave it,and and make an appointment to get it out when you are ready to.None of the self serve storage units here let you put cars in them.One of them caught fire a couple of years ago on RT 27 in Raymond,turns out somebody had put a car in one of the units when nobody was looking.The car had nothing to do with the fire there,but the insurance would not pay for the car either.For active storage,to come and go as you please will cost you real money.There is no such thing as a spare garage.
 
Active storage here is not cheap.We used to be able to store cars in the old PK Lindsay compressor/sandblaster factory for $50.per month.That was for dead storage.No in/out when you wanted.just bring your car in and pick it up in the spring.Now we can store cars in the buildings at the Deerfield fairgrounds,same deal.Put it in,leave it,and and make an appointment to get it out when you are ready to.None of the self serve storage units here let you put cars in them.One of them caught fire a couple of years ago on RT 27 in Raymond,turns out somebody had put a car in one of the units when nobody was looking.The car had nothing to do with the fire there,but the insurance would not pay for the car either.For active storage,to come and go as you please will cost you real money.There is no such thing as a spare garage.

that sucks and is discouraging.. but thank you for writing the important info.
 
It's probably not just your area that the costs are over $100/month. When I had to store my pickup last year, I paid more than that for inside storage. I think that the self-storage places here are a tad cheaper, but it is usually outside storage.
 
I got so desperate a few years ago I actually thought about buying a building and paying for it by renting out car storage. But I couldn’t even find that. And now that Portland real estate has gone crazy that isn’t even an option. I finally put an ad in my neighborhood email list, and a lady came forward with an extra space in her garage. If I lose that, though, I may have to just sell my car.
 
10x20 near me is $85 a month.

Id rather pay $100 than have it sit outside under a tarp - tarps are good for keeping firewood half *** dry and thats it - they wreak havoc on a car from paint to acting like a greenhouse. You only need the unit 1/2 the year anyways.

I prefer to jam a box of dryer sheets in all the cracks, trunk, under seats, around engine bay, etc than moth balls to keep mice away - that mothball smell is awful and stays in the car for years. That and have absolutely no trace of any food in your unit or car and the mice will likely find someone elses unit thats more appetizing. I was storing some camping citronella candles and decided to put them in the corners of the unit and never saw a mouse or anything.
 
Don't store it, drive it. Cover it in bad weather and drive it in good. They like to be driven and will run better from a lot of driving.
 
A big thing I haven't seen considered is insurance.You will not get a car covered unless it is in a solid,lockable unit.I have two friends in town with late 70's ElCaminos.They can't get anything but liability on their cars because they don't have garages.They do have the Cover it tents,but the insurance companies won't accept those.
 
alternatives ... tarp cover in dooryard... and hope landlord is ok with it... contract says I am allowed two cars... basically.

What body style and what condition is it in?

Restored, 30 footer, orginal unrestored, barn find, basket case?

If it’s a good car in one form or another, I wouldn’t think storing it out side makes any sense.
 
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