Not everyone realizes that storing classic cars at home isn’t simple as parking them next to your everyday vehicle. Instead, these classics require a particular space on your property to call their home. These tips for improving your classic car storage can help you avoid making costly mistakes to your latest restoration.
Maintain a Clean Storage Space
Before storing your car for long periods, such as through the winter, it’s essential to wax and clean it first. Don’t forget to ensure the vehicle is dry post-cleaning and waxing because, as we’ll get into later, classic cars should remain dry during storage.
Just like your vehicle needs to be clean before storage, so should the garage you’re parking it in. Ensure the area doesn’t contain dirt, dust, oil, moisture, and other contaminants that can spell disaster for your vehicle. Allowing contaminants to be present in your car storage space will enable hazards like rust and mold to appear over time.
Provide a Comfortable Temperature
Extreme cold and heat can also be damaging to your car during storage. To keep the elements from wreaking havoc on your classic, store it in a garage where you can keep the temperature consistently stable.
Weatherproofing your storage space with the help of materials like insulation might take some time, but it’ll help you preserve the quality of your classic throughout its time in storage. Consider inspecting the storage space routinely to ensure there’s no excessive build-up of heat, cold, or moisture. If you notice these hazards in the garage, address them immediately to minimize potential damage to your car’s appearance and handling.
Organize Your Tools
Classic car collectors should always have a place to store the tools and materials they use for restorations and general upkeep. Whether they’re on shelves or in cabinets, your gear should be somewhere convenient and secure.
Allowing your tools to lay around the storage space randomly can lead to you losing track of them, which can be frustrating when you’re looking for them a month or so later. Plus, keeping tools askew in the workplace can also lead to you bumping into them and accidentally hurting yourself, causing damage to the instrument, and causing damage to nearby vehicle parts.
Assess Your Available Space
One of the essential tips for improving your classic car storage is assessing your current space, specifically how much room you available in that space. Restorations and general upkeep require plenty of room so you can complete these tasks safely, comfortably, and without damaging car parts.
For example, a Willys CJ-2A is the perfect Jeep for collectors, but restoring the frame is an extensive process that requires ample space to complete. Without enough space, you can end up damaging the Jeep instead of improving it.
