Let me know what you all like. My car's exerior needs to be stripped so I'm not so worried about protecting the paint right now. I just want to keep out the weather so all the work on the floorboards won't be ruined by standing water coming through leaky seals in the body.
If you have an old one that looks bad but works contact me
I figure those should be replaced almost last in the rebuild process. After the paint and before the interior goes in.
Here is what Pelican Parts offers
http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/coverking/coverking_outdoor.htm
Spend a little more & get the portable garage/tent type setup. The type that can enclose it completely. Yet leave enough space around your car for you to come & go. Problem with a car cover is the moisture is still going to get into your car. With it spaced away from your car you cut down on that moisture quite a bit.
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If my landlord would have allowed one of those, its what I would have done. The only thing car covers do well is keep leaves and debris out. If anything, they INCREASE the amount of humidity and water that comes in contact with the car. If you keep it under a cover, take it off every time it rains and let it air out.
Steve,
That sounds like a better plan to me. Thats sorta what I'm doing, since I have to work on it outside. FYI, the car cover I do have is a "Budge". They're relatively cheap from what I understand, but mine came with the car. Again, its more important you let it air out. No matter now nice the cover.
I don't see how that looks worse than a tarp . The point of the cover is keeping the moisture out of your 914 right. Weighing down a tarp is going to be worse than just letting it sit out uncovered. A carport is another great way to go. It still is only as good as the enclosure around it.
I have a Coverking Stormproof cover. It does a good job keeping water out of the cockpit, front trunk, all the leaky places that fill up whenever it rains.
Keep the sides and corners of your tarp off the ground. The southeastern US has high octane humidity.
914 is non- galvanized, light gauge steel unibody car with spot, butt and flange welds in the chassis. Rust is/should be your biggest concern.
Nashville has 40+ inches of rain per year, high humidity, warm weather, etc. Cover something made from metal with a waterproof tarp, add a 20 degree temperature swing between day and night, and you will have made a water still.
"Breathable" machine covers do not work very well in Tn and Ky -- air is usually too humid for the principle of osmosis to encourage the water vapor to find it's way through the small pours in the "breathable" fabric.
AMHIK,
Stuart
I would not even attempt this in a high humidity area. You will be wasting your time. It's seems like you really don't have the money to start a project like this right now. You will actually have less productivity because once the car comes apart everything will be open to the elements. All a tarp will do is keep leaves out and moisture in. It sounds like it going to be on dirt instead of concrete. I think you will end up just selling parts but you can learn from that so go for it. I restored a old jeep once and while the body was in the shop I put the complete chassis outside with a tarp on it. One spring day I took the canvas tarp off it and noticed the transfer case seals were leaking. I took the top off the tranny and it was full of water. I spent all day trying to get the rusty look out of the lube and running the motor and tranny and axles through the gears with 30 wt oil in it to get it cleaned up. It came out ok but the gears had obvious stains from rust on them. There were no leaks in the top of the tranny or the transfer case it was from condensation. I never buy anything like a rearend or tranny that has set out in the weather without the body on it. Old tractors are perfect candidates for this also. Cast iron probably will sweat more than the 914 tub but it will still get moisture inside the unibody cavities unless they are already so rusted through that they can breathe and drain.
Tractors.... last winter I went to plow some snow with an old Ford I'd left outside for two months. Breather, air filter, exhaust, were all covered. "Spun a rod" when I tried to start it. After it got above freezing I drained the engine sump: a gallon water + a gallon oil poured out.
Maybe you can put up one of these. Tell the neighbors your having a party -- for a few months.
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You can get de-humidifiers at boat supply places. Put one in the car, tie a cheap blue plastic tarp over it and it should be just fine. Youcan buy bags of desiccant silica get and throw them in the car as well. Google it.
Cheers, Elliot
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