How to properly store the Delorean outside in winter

[aadcderm]

Simply put, does anyone have any experience (not necessarily a theoretical opinion) on storing their Delorean outside in the winter? I live in Maryland. The debate is whether to cover or not to cover, and what type of cover to use if one choses to do so (water proof vs. resistant). If a drenching rain soaks a cover and stays on the car, will it be detrimental to it if it stays on the car wet for days. Already spoke with Rob Grady on the matter and he did not have a definitive opinion, and he leaned towards being better exposed to the elements than covered. Thus I go to the forum. Has anyone/does anyone store outside in the snow/rain?

I thank you for your help.

[pezzonovante88]

Simply put, does anyone have any experience (not necessarily a theoretical opinion) on storing their Delorean outside in the winter? I live in Maryland. The debate is whether to cover or not to cover, and what type of cover to use if one choses to do so (water proof vs. resistant). If a drenching rain soaks a cover and stays on the car, will it be detrimental to it if it stays on the car wet for days. Already spoke with Rob Grady on the matter and he did not have a definitive opinion, and he leaned towards being better exposed to the elements than covered. Thus I go to the forum. Has anyone/does anyone store outside in the snow/rain?

I thank you for your help.

If you're not covering the car, just ensure that the window's are covered from the interior to avoid sun damage to the leather and vinyl. Other than that, it would probably be just fine not covered.

[DMCMW Dave]

Simply put, does anyone have any experience (not necessarily a theoretical opinion) on storing their Delorean outside in the winter? I live in Maryland. The debate is whether to cover or not to cover, and what type of cover to use if one choses to do so (water proof vs. resistant). If a drenching rain soaks a cover and stays on the car, will it be detrimental to it if it stays on the car wet for days. Already spoke with Rob Grady on the matter and he did not have a definitive opinion, and he leaned towards being better exposed to the elements than covered. Thus I go to the forum. .

We see lots of results of poor storage practices so I have some very definite opinions. Short answer - Don't. For any length of time, especially if you are not routinely driving it (driving it at least dries things out once in a while).

You will save money (over repair/restoration costs) if you rent a garage. At this age things come apart very quickly in weather - sun, rain, mice, squirrels, everything is rough on it.

Longer answers:
Next best is one of those inflatable things (used to be called CarCoon, not sure what is out there now).

Next best is cover it but use a breathable cover. It will get wet but that will tend to shed the heavy rain and dirt, and not trap moisture (creates mold/corrosion). If your doors leak the car is going to get wet and moldy inside.

If you don't use a cover, at least put a plastic sheet over the engine so that water is not pooling on top of the engine all winter long. My favorite way to do this is to put the sheet over the top of the engine cover and use the cover to "trap" it. The water will run off the sides an/or down the channels and will stay off the engine.

Whatever you do park it on a hard, well-drained surface where water does not stand. The absolute worst place to park it is dirt or grass. Concrete is best, gravel is better than dirt but not much. Second worst place is a concrete block garage or a dirt floor barn with a leaky roof. May as well be in a sauna.

[sdg3205]

Dave, I see DMC really does endorse carcoon!

16128

I'd love to be able to store a car safely outside but these aren't cheap.

[Michael]

That's kind of like asking "What's the best way to wash my cat?<Yah, I meant to say cat, as in it's something you don't want to do and it's not pleasant for either you or the cat..

[BABIS]

what's the problem with covering the car with a waterproof cover?

[sdg3205]

Dave, lots of us have the official DMC cover. I have no delusions about it being water proof or resistant to the Arizona sun, but its decent for inside.

I've thought it would do well outside with a good blue tarp over top. Those tarps still breath a bit, but keep out 98% of the elements (read rain and snow).

[Nicholas R]

Anytime I store it outside for longer than a few days I cover it. I just use the $25 walmart cover but I still think it's better than nothing. The cover isn't completely waterproof but it was waterproof enough that when it rained, the cover kept water out of the car (this was before I fixed all my leaks). That was good enough for me. It was a trade off though because if the car got rained on under the cover, the next time I removed the cover the car would be filthy with dirty watermarks.

Still like everyone else says, that is a last resort. It is very rare that it doesn't live in a garage. Even the times where I had to store it outside, it was never more than a week or two.

[Jonathan]

If you are leaving it sealed up in storage, you might consider putting some desiccant packs inside to deal with any moisture.

http://www.sta-dri.com/index.cfm?action=products&act=Sta-Dri

[DMCMW Dave]

what's the problem with covering the car with a waterproof cover?

Nothing is really waterproof, so water will get in, even if it blows up from underneath in the wind. If the cover is "almost" waterproof, the water then has a hard time getting out. Then you get rust and mold.

[DMCMW Dave]

Dave, lots of us have the official DMC cover. I have no delusions about it being water proof or resistant to the Arizona sun, but its decent for inside.

I've thought it would do well outside with a good blue tarp over top. Those tarps still breath a bit, but keep out 98% of the elements (read rain and snow).

Yes, that's a very good cover. We actually have a flock of the walmart covers here that we use in the shop, but as Nick mentioned they are not very weatherproof. They are so cheap you can throw them away when they get dirty or the elastic fails in a year or two. Covering a car indoors to keep dust and cat prints off of it is a much easier issue to deal with.

The double-cover thing isn't a bad idea. A problem nobody has mentioned is that an industrial (blue etc.) tarp is somewhat abrasive and over time will scratch the paint at the corners as it moves in the wind, and even mar the stainless. If the first cover is a real car cover they tend to be softer.

I think the main thing to avoid is using solid plastic i.e. visqueen as it will really stay wet under that.

[pezzonovante88]

Dave, I see DMC really does endorse carcoon!

16128

I'd love to be able to store a car safely outside but these aren't cheap.

Here's a Carcoon video featuring a DeLorean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X987zUUyOV8

[Dangermouse]

I thought I read about an owner who did a three ply approach

First he used a soft, indoor type cover. Not waterproof in the slightest but just for protection from layer 2

Then a waterproof tarp covering at least the roof and engine

Lastly a good outdoor cover as the first line of defense as well as holding the tarp in place. If some water would pass through the outer layer, then the tarp would ensure the car stayed dry.

The covers were loose enough that it could breathe on a windy day.

[aotmfilms]

Not to bump a thread. But making the case for storage, should I put cardboard boxes on the floor of the storage under the Delorean or a waterproof tarp? Too keep out moisture from the cemented ground. Is this type of storage reccommended? I heard it would be like a sauna. I have it under a car port and am moving the D to this storage this friday. Thoughts? Any input would be appreciated.3594735948359493595035951

--Doug

[David T]

Not to bump a thread. But making the case for storage, should I put cardboard boxes on the floor of the storage under the Delorean or a waterproof tarp? Too keep out moisture from the cemented ground. Is this type of storage reccommended? I heard it would be like a sauna. I have it under a car port and am moving the D to this storage this friday. Thoughts? Any input would be appreciated.3594735948359493595035951

--Doug

Moisture will migrate through even concrete. You can see that by placing a piece of clear plastic on the concrete for a few days. Still better than anything else. A carcoon or similar doesn't keep things dry, the fans blow in air and if it's very humid the inside of the carcoon is worse because it gets hot in there. Epoxy coating the floor will help a lot. A tarp can't hurt. Also protect the car from anything that could fall on it and don't pile stuff on the car. Remove the battery and the fuel. Remove anything loose. Put mothballs UNDER (not in) the car to keep anything from living inside. Make sure all of the paperwork (the Title, registration, etc and keys) are kept in a safe place so that you can find them when you need them. Continue insurance on the car but you don't need Liability so it should be cheap. If you want a carcoon I have a used one I can sell you cheap.

[DMCMW Dave]

Two biggest problems - moisture and critters. Temperature isn't a big deal as long as the car has antifreeze in the coolant. I'd remove the battery and take it home.

My advice - run the gas tank as low as possible. I find that they tank hold up a lot better empty than full. This is not the advice you get from old time car guys, but we are dealing with a plastic tank and rubber parts, and really awful modern gasoline.

Change the oil before you store it. Clean oil is good for a very long time, dirty oil will precipitate out and settle on the bottom of the tank. Brake fluid too. Don't worry about transmission/coolant fluids other than the normal changes that you should be doing anyway, but don't part a car for a long time with old coolant in place.

Critters - do anything you can to keep mice away. Mothballs, mousetraps, and the occasional Cat are all good things. De-mousing a car is the most disgusting car job you'll ever run into.

Moisture - I don't think that moisture comes thru concrete as much as it condenses on it. When the temperature swings from cold to hot, you get condensing moisture on the floor and the car, mostly the frame but sometimes the interior. This ends up as rust and mold. Mold is almost as bad as critters, slightly easier to clean up. The only way to fight this is to ventilate the room, hard to do on a rental space. Moving air is better than nothing but most storage lockers don't have power. I'd visit the car once in a while to make sure that the storage unit you have parked it in has not turned into a sauna. The biggest advantage to a heated garage is that it keeps condensation from forming due to extreme temperature changes, not that the car isn't cold.

Plastic on the floor doesn't hurt anything, but I don't believe it helps all that much. If there was moisture coming thru the concrete in large amounts you'd see moisture under the plastic.

Car Covers - I'm going way out of the norm on this one. We've started seeing cars with pitting in the stainless. Pretty odd as stainless should not do that. After some detective work we feel that the common cause is car covers in place for a very long time, holding dirt (who knows what's in dirt, i.e. corrosives) and moisture against the stainless long enough for it to actually corrode. Not saying you should never use a car cover, but if you are storing the car for a long time (i.e. years) it would be best to either remove and change or wash the cover once in a while, or even go without a cover but wash the dirt off the car every year or two.

I do not believe that there is any good way to store a car outdoors. If you do, just expect to be doing a lot more maintenance.

Cardboard/carpeting the floor is not helpful, although there is some insulation value it just holds more moisture and critters find it to be excellent bedding material.

[aotmfilms]

Two biggest problems - moisture and critters. Temperature isn't a big deal as long as the car has antifreeze in the coolant. I'd remove the battery and take it home. .

Yeah I thought about removing the battery November - March. I also have a battery cut off switch. Could I take the battery out and charge when I get ready to drive it in April? and just have the power cut off via the switch from November - March? or would the terminals corrode badly from non use? The reason why I ask is because I may want to start the car every once in awhile during the winter. Not move it per se but start it...



Change the oil before you store it. Clean oil is good for a very long time, dirty oil will precipitate out and settle on the bottom of the tank. Brake fluid too. Don't worry about transmission/coolant fluids other than the normal changes that you should be doing anyway, but don't part a car for a long time with old coolant in place. .

I didn't know that but plan on changing the oil mid September. +1



Critters - do anything you can to keep mice away. Mothballs, mousetraps, and the occasional Cat are all good things. De-mousing a car is the most disgusting car job you'll ever run into.



Thanks! I will lay some mouse traps out there and moth balls. I plan on visiting the car once a week, from October thru March.



Car Covers - I'm going way out of the norm on this one. We've started seeing cars with pitting in the stainless. Pretty odd as stainless should not do that. After some detective work we feel that the common cause is car covers in place for a very long time, holding dirt (who knows what's in dirt, i.e. corrosives) and moisture against the stainless long enough for it to actually corrode. Not saying you should never use a car cover, but if you are storing the car for a long time (i.e. years) it would be best to either remove and change or wash the cover once in a while, or even go without a cover but wash the dirt off the car every year or two.

So no car cover. I have the original car cover. Would that be good enough to put over the car? So it doesn't scratch it?


I do not believe that there is any good way to store a car outdoors. If you do, just expect to be doing a lot more maintenance.


I hope never to have to as how I had the D under a car port (I'll have to show a picture), it rained one day BAD :( where either moisture or water...got in the back of the louvers and could have gotten the AC compressor/Alternator portion of the engine wet...well it was a PITA to start the next day. The D was very cranky, so now I took your earlier advice and put trashbags over the louvre vents to keep the water from running down the louvres into the vents. Car port stops rain most of the time but the rain was coming almost sideways... :( I moved up my storage timetable so that moisture issue hopefully wont be a problem. I'm thinking in September with the frost dew combo it will wreak havoc with starting the engine, so mitigating that with enclosed storage.

Thanks again for the knowledgable advice! :)

--Doug

[DMCMW Dave]

So no car cover. I have the original car cover. Would that be good enough to put over the car? So it doesn't scratch it?
--Doug

Car cover is mostly to keep dust off. A single winter should not be a problem, I feel the damage we see is from more like decades of storage. A sealed room like that shouldn't be dusty, although I'm not sure how sealed those storage places really are.

[Dangermouse]

Moisture - I don't think that moisture comes thru concrete as much as it condenses on it.
.

Depends on the age of the concrete and the method in which it was laid.

Concrete poured on a vapor barrier can take 6 months to dry out thoroughly. (the pictures provided above look like a nice newly poured floor).

Concrete poured on the ground, w/o a vapor barrier will never fully dry out as the water vapor from the ground underneath will permeate through the porous concrete.

http://www.concretenetwork.com/vapor-barriers/water-vapor.html

[David T]

Depends on the age of the concrete and the method in which it was laid.

Concrete poured on a vapor barrier can take 6 months to dry out thoroughly. (the pictures provided above look like a nice newly poured floor).

Concrete poured on the ground, w/o a vapor barrier will never fully dry out as the water vapor from the ground underneath will permeate through the porous concrete.

http://www.concretenetwork.com/vapor-barriers/water-vapor.html

If you are only storing the car for less than a year, that is not considered long term storage. Indoors all you need to do is remove the battery and the gas. Dust and dirt will wash off so a cover is optional. The battery should be kept in a warm place on wood and charged for 1 day once a month.

[valdez]

Store it in an abandoned mine shaft.
It should last at least 100 years needing only tires and gas.

[refugeefromcalif]

Store it in an abandoned mine shaft.
It should last at least 100 years needing only tires and gas.

Well, 70 years anyway... :wink:

George