Winter Storage

ktkamm

Member
Due to room constraints, my Model A truck will be stored outside, covered by tarps. To preserve the tires, would it be best to put jack stands under the front and rear axles and keep the tires off the ground? Other option would be to put some type of cement pad under each of the tires. Currently sitting on grass/dirt.

Thanks,

Kieran
 
Either way would work.
Pads under the stands to keep them from sinking or wood blocks or pads under the tires. I prefer to keep weight off the tires.
 
Put mothballs on top of the engine and in the front crossmember, and inside the cab.
I would lay plastic over the ground to help keep ground moisture from the AA.
Go to Harbor freight or a second hand store and buy blankets or quilts to lay on the hood and cab before you cover it with a tarp. In 1970 I learned the hard way that it's not good to store a car outside with plastic on the paint.
 
I agree with Tom on that one , back a few years ago I had to leave my maroon 50 Ford woody outside one winter and tucked it all in with a large blue tarp , in the Spring when I pulled off the tarp the paint was ruined with blue streaks that went through the pigment. I would make a wood frame to keep the tarp from touching the paint or better yet, maybe a temporary canvas covered garage with good air circulation would be in orderwith blue tarp on the ground under the truck.
 
How about one of those portable "tents" like you can get at Home Depot?
 

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Good afternoon...It is also a good idea to plug the tail pipe if you are storing outside. All sorts of things have been found in Model A Engines that did not have the tail pipe plugged. Packrats will put all kinds of things in the engine. Ernie
 
Wrapping a car in a plastic cover is a quick way to ruin it. Apart from damage to the paint, condensation and extreme humidity under the cover cause rust. As has been suggested above, keep an air gap between the car and cover.
Have you considered one of those lock-up storage garages for the few months you will need it? It might not be as expensive as you imagine by the time you take into consideration the cost of a decent temporary structure (which I have seen collapse under the weight of snow and damage the car). One of these storage units would be secure no different for the car from storing it in your own (unheated) garage at home. It wouldn't take much damage to the car to make even the most expensive storage look cheap.
 
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Please don't leave it outside. Sitting on dirt, out in the weather, and mice.

They just don't make these anymore. Are there any dry storage facilities near you? It would be money well spent.
 
The 3 legged shelter like in #8 is only for shade or rain. Another lesson I learned the hard way.
For snow you need one like in #6.

I would buy the metal shelter like Menards and many others sell for $700 to $900.
 
Similar to blocking the tailpipe, you may want to wrap something over the carb intake. Don't need any critters entering in through the carb.
 
I bought a portable garage from Shelterlogic and mounted it on a 24x20 pressure treated wood deck for around $1000 total and that was 15 years ago, no problem with snow load because it had 1-5/8 steel tubing. The shelter is not taxable in my town because it is a temporary structure, it is a house style shaped structure that can withstand a 2 ft. snowload.
 
Wrapping a car in a plastic cover is a quick way to ruin it. Apart from damage to the paint, condensation and extreme humidity under the cover cause rust. As has been suggested above, keep an air gap between the car and cover.
Have you considered one of those lock-up storage garages for the few months you will need it? It might not be as expensive as you imagine by the time you take into consideration the cost of a decent temporary structure (which I have seen collapse under the weight of snow and damage the car). One of these storage units would be secure no different for the car from storing it in your own (unheated) garage at home. It wouldn't take much damage to the car to make even the most expensive storage look cheap.

I agree wholeheartedly, it would be best to look into this................
 
I bought a portable garage from Shelterlogic and mounted it on a 24x20 pressure treated wood deck for around $1000 total and that was 15 years ago, no problem with snow load because it had 1-5/8 steel tubing. The shelter is not taxable in my town because it is a temporary structure, it is a house style shaped structure that can withstand a 2 ft. snowload.
Barry B,
Tough Shed, here, sells a Chalet or Barn looking Studio Apartment, with an attached one or two car GARAGE!
They're very POPULAR, up in the mountains!
Bill Mountainlover
 
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