Winter Prep.

[neonsox]

Here in Massachusetts, we are having our "Indian Summer" where it's humid for a few days and then BAM right into Fall again. I want to take advantage of this time to properly prepare my Shelby Lancer for storage. So I have a couple questions for you fellow rust belt dwellers out there.

1. Should I store the car on uncovered concrete in the garage or put something under it to keep the moisture on the ground?
   
2. Should I cover the car with a good cover or will that also trap moisture close to the body?
   
3. Do those little silicon packets that you get with electronics help keep moisture out of the interior? If not, what does?
   
4. Is gas stabilizer the way to go or should I just fill the tank and let it sit?

The garage is unheated and does retain some moisture when we get that wet snow early and late winter (the windows fog up). Last year I just parked it on some thin plastic, filled the tank with a gas/stabilizer mix, and called it a day. I'd like to be a little more proactive this year.

- - -

Jeremy
1987 Shelby Lancer #63
2004 Dodge Neon SXT

[contraption22]

How about a cheap, standalone dehumidifier for your garage? We have a cheap used unit in our garage. Keeps things nice and dry. Used to have a problem with surface rust collecting on the milling machine table. Not anymore.

[neonsox]

Not a bad idea. How is it on energy costs?

[contraption22]

Hmm not sure. Much cheaper than rust repair tho!

[neonsox]

I haven't noticed any rust on my tools that are exposed in there, but I left a pair of needle-nose pliers outside on the steps one time... stuck rusted open and a lost cause. Not even WD-40 would free those suckers. It gets humid here year round. I used to think it was purely salt that destroyed metal, but I think it's the whole Northern ----tail that does it.

[Mario]

Here in Massachusetts, we are having our "Indian Summer" where it's humid for a few days and then BAM right into Fall again. I want to take advantage of this time to properly prepare my Shelby Lancer for storage. So I have a couple questions for you fellow rust belt dwellers out there.

1. Should I store the car on uncovered concrete in the garage or put something under it to keep the moisture on the ground?
   
2. Should I cover the car with a good cover or will that also trap moisture close to the body?
   
3. Do those little silicon packets that you get with electronics help keep moisture out of the interior? If not, what does?
   
4. Is gas stabilizer the way to go or should I just fill the tank and let it sit?

The garage is unheated and does retain some moisture when we get that wet snow early and late winter (the windows fog up). Last year I just parked it on some thin plastic, filled the tank with a gas/stabilizer mix, and called it a day. I'd like to be a little more proactive this year.

- - -

Jeremy
1987 Shelby Lancer #63
2004 Dodge Neon SXT

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think some garage improvements would benefit you more.

Do you actually know that the moisture is coming through the concrete? I simple way to test this is to get a sheet of plastic and tape all the corners off on the ground, then wait a few days and see if any moisture has collected. If not, then you can address other areas of the garage. For a cover, I've always liked nice fitted covers that are breathable. More for keeping dust off than anything else.

Any roof or side insulation? Garage door insulation? Insulation around the door? Windows? All are contributing factors. If this is an attached garage, this would help your home out as well. Another thing is that most, if not all insulation can be written off on your taxes too.

I don't use gas stabilizer or any of that. Just keep the tank full. May want to pull the plugs and put a little oil in each cylinder or fog them with some WD-40.

De-humidfier is a great suggestion as well.

[1FastCSX289]

No more talk of the "W" word!!!!!!

No more.

[dr_amx]

I like to use a regular box fan to blow towards the car on #2 setting keeps any moisture moving. A friend of mine has been doing this with his 69 Amx and it had not added any rust in 20 years. He stores it in an unheated pole barn with a concrete floor.