Hello everyone,

My father has an ’87 coupe. I have a lot of memories attached to working on that car with my dad when I lived at home. My mom just bought a nice new car and would like to park it in the space in the garage the Vette occupies (they have a one car garage). An idea he’s not crazy about. He's actually considering selling it if he can't find a place to store it. I’m not in the financial position (like many these days) to buy it from him, so I suggested he buy a nice cover and leave it outside.

At first the idea of a car cover sounded good to him. Then, he brought up some good points. The weather stripping on the car isn’t like it used to be. You can hear air coming in when driving around. That air rushing in means that if it’s stored outside, moisture will get in too. He has a concern that not driving it will result in moisture making the interior smell funky, mold growing in the vents, and critters making their home under the hood, etc… All valid fears since the same things happened to a friend of ours with a ’94 that was stored outside.

Now my question… Other than building a new garage, is there any way to protect it from the moisture and the elements while stored outside? We’re in Southern Pennsylvania, which means about once a year or two a thunderstorm will roll by with some hail, ice in the winter, and constant rain some months and direct sunlight in summer. It’s red and I’ve seen the sun do terrible things to red paint.

Any solution to the problem shouldn’t be too costly. I guess he’d rather see it go to a good home than have moisture destroy the interior in the driveway. But, I don't want to see it go and want to give ideas for keeping it around a fighting chance. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated, as I really don’t want to see it go.

Thank you for all your help!
Mike

 

Are you sure its the weatherstrip leaking? Have the door panels ever been removed and put back on. My car used to sound air tight but I removed both panels and reinstalled them once and now it will whistle and howl going down the freeway.

 

Thank you for the reply. Yes, we're sure it's the weather seal. It's cracked and you can feel the air coming in where the glass meets the window. Even if the weather seal was replaced, we're still concerned that a car that sits outside for a season (Winter) will still collect moisture inside and ruin the interior over time (which we desperately want to avoid) since no car is 100% airtight.

Thanks!

 

so drive it dont let it set

 

I have, what I like to call, a portable garage. It has an aluminium frame with a canvas type material over the top and sides and 2 seperate doors that zip up and down. They come in various sizes. Mine is 20x12x8. I'm not saying that this will keep out the moisture or critters, but it will keep the sun, rain and other elements off the car. If you have room on your property you can put these anywhere. They also come with large spikes that you hammer into the ground and tie off to the crossmember of the frame so that the wind will not blow it away. I unfortunatly do not have a garage at my house so I am forced to keep my baby outside, but covered. I hope this helps.

 

Howdy Mike,just googled "car storage bubble" came up with an outdoor type car capsule for around $600 that looks like it would do the job. I have my "outside" vette under a cover and the +++++++++ Nevada zephyrs keep removing it,usually at the worst times!
Ron

 

Buy a Wolf plain Jane Color nothing fancy cause thieves do steal them .
I have two Vettes and one has to sit outside and after a rain very little moisture goes through the cover.
It fits like a glove and cost about $99.00 .
Well worth the bucks !