Hot and Cold

dean from bozeman

dean from bozeman

Well-known member
When I was remodeling the house, I noticed that the trusses used in the attached garage had a nice open span in the middle. So I put down some plywood and voila! I had a great place to store Model A parts. It really opened up some floor space in the garage.

However, now I wonder which Model A parts might be adversely affected by the extremes and the changes in temperatures. Outside the temperature can fluctuate over 12 month span from 40 below to the high nineties. In the summer I bet that attic can get to 120 or so. During a day the temperatures can span up to 60 or more.

The garage itself is not heated (yet).

So what parts will not do well in the garage attic?

Thanks in advance.

Dean
 
i cant think of any except paint ....... i lived @-20* and all was ok except paint ... steve
** not a gaurantee**
 
Hello Dean. A good friend of mine has been restoring a 31 Lincoln for over 15 yrs. He had the bumpers chromed & wrapped them in newspaper & stored them in the attic in his house. About two yrs ago he got them down after having them stored for several yrs., they were pitted with areas of rust. These were done by a high end platter so it was not a cheap chrome job. Other items stored other places were OK. I have a large two story shop & have tons of Model A parts stored upstairs I have no problems. I have no heat in my shop. Our weather here is not as sever as yours. I do get moisture formed on stacked eng. blocks when it get very cold in the lower 20's & upper teens & then heats up to the 40's or 50's quickly. I really need to get a de-humidifier.
 
As mentioned, paint would not do well in the extreme heat or cold. Also, any rubber parts will be effected by extreme heat. Gaskets could also suffer from the extremes in temp.

I've stored chromed Mustang bumpers and other chromed parts without any ill effects.
 
The one thing that would concern me was moisture.. As long as there is plenty of ventilation I wouldn't worry about anything other than the others have mentioned..
 
Newspaper will absorb moisture thus adhering to the metal best to leave unwrapped!pick a room in the house!!!! Hang on the wall for art!!
 
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What made me ask this question was a concern that I have over two very nice steering wheels and a couple sets of original hoses that I will use in the next couple years.

I realize that a car can have quite a range of temperatures and some extreme temperatures too. So things lie a steering wheel has been subjected to temperasture extremes. Also, what caused the cracks in steering wheels over time? Was it the temperatures? humidity?

The front bumpers and newpapers is a good call. I do have two front bumper bars in newspaper since they were plated. Fortunately Montana is a relatively dry place.

How about rubber parts? gromets? tires? fan belts?
 
I'd keep any non-metal parts out of the attic, especially the more delicate things (NOS or original belts, grommets, hoses, etc)!

It's the heating and cooling cycling that will degrade the parts over time. I doubt one or two years in the attic will hurt an original fan belt since it's already been around for 80+ years, but why chance it!

Your place is fairly dry, but definitely has some wild temperature swings that would concern me with those types of parts! I'd rather have them crack and harden on the car then in my attic.
 
Dean:
Be careful what you store on the floor supported by trusses designed to support the roof. It has been many years since I looked at this. Each component of the truss is designed to be in compression or tension. The load applied by the parts may exceed the design loading for one of the pieces causing it to fail. The result will not be good.

You should talk to someone in the home building supply field, namely a truss supplier. Have a picture and sketch out all of the measurements and component dimensions (2x4). If they are not busy they may be inclined to give you some numbers so that you can get a feel for what the floor will support in lbs of dead load per square foot. Don't forget about the design snow load and actual weight of the roof components also.

Vic
 
I have had parts in my space since 1991... NO problem as long as its dry. Which it is . The guy with the bumper [high end platter????] So does not sound right in that short of time .When you figure the cars outside for twice that amount of time with no problems.Sounds like a poor prep job from the start.I have used a n.o.s. set of chrome plated top irons for my 180A which if it was not for a few scratches i could of used them without plating. 78 years old.
 
Sorry to be a party-pooper...have to agree with Vic.

Most trusses are not designed to be loaded from the bottom chord. Check to see if they are attic trusses, which are.

We would hate to see you have a bigger problem...like the garage roof collapses.
 
Good points Vic.

I did look into this as suggested. Also, the garage floor space is approximately 2/3 of the area. That is enough to park two vehicles inside their own garage doors. The other 1/3 of the garage floor space is divided into two rooms and a relatively small mechanical room. Therefore, the part that of the attic that holds the Model A parts is supported by the room walls. The attic space that is above the car parking floor space is only used for relatively light parts and other storage.

My thought was that for the price of an attic folding ladder and a few pieces of plywood, I would get a bonus storage area. However, each time I go up the ladder I seem to experience extreme temperatures. So though I am cognizant of weight concerns, I am most concerned with temperature extremes and their effects on fragile parts (steering wheels, hoses, grommets, Bakelite parts, etc.).

Thanks for all responses.
Dean
 
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