Classic car
- Thread starter garybaldy
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That may seem the obvious answer but is incorrect. There are certain materials used on older cars (leather for a start) that will suffer & deteriorate dramatically from storage in a zero humidity environment which would be practically impossible for you to realistically achieve anyway; what are you trying to achieve?
I’ve owned a TR6 since 1975 & did “nut & bolt” concourse standard restoration over more years than I care to remember but it’s been finished & driven since 2004. It lives in a well ventilated garage with a high quality breathable cotton cover over it & although it's probably no longer worthy of a concourse ticket (not without a bit of work anyway), there has been no appreciable deterioration in the quality since then & certainly no rust. There are controlled environment storage systems you can buy; the one that immediately springs to mind is “Carcoon” (basically a big plastic bag with a fan & filter on it). Humidity is not the only factor; good ventilation will work just as well & you need to avoid large changes in temperature at all costs if you’ve no humidity control, this is what causes ambient moisture to condensate on cold steel; in some instances a background heater can be just as much of a benefit as a de-humidifier!
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good point, i hadn't considered anything but the bodywork.
i did think about the "carcoon" but didnt mention it because i wasn't sure of its credentials.
my own car is cosseted in a garage but has virtually no interior so thats not really a consideration. the garage is actually quite poor for letting moisture in so i'm considering doing something about it, i'm not sure what though. need to do something as i've just spent the best part of two years sorting the rust, i obviously don't want it back.
nice car the TR6 BTW, my uncle has one.
Some pics in my profile if your interested in lookingnice car the TR6 BTW, my uncle has one.
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Some pics in my profile if your interested in lookingnice car the TR6 BTW, my uncle has one.
fabulous.
something about the black infill on the rear end just sets them off. if i could afford one i wouldn't hesitate to buy one.my uncles was restored in the early 90's but probably needs doing again. i have fond memories of it and my dads e-type thrashing around the countryside. in truth its been a long time since i saw it. he also has a TC in a thousand bits.
Thanks for the info & good to hear the dreaded rust can be avoided. I'm having a 70s VW Camper resprayed as we chat. The last one rotted on the street over 12 years.
I was considering measuring the humidity currently as I have no idea how high it is. Reading up on it a little, it seems below 40% is safe for avoiding rust but I will have to consider the interior.
You mentioned ventillation which keeps coming up as a necessity. At the moment it's only ventillation is from the minor gaps & breathability of the timber frame. I am planning insulating it, do you think I should add ventillation then?
Cheers
P.S half considering thr cocoon as well
I was considering measuring the humidity currently as I have no idea how high it is. Reading up on it a little, it seems below 40% is safe for avoiding rust but I will have to consider the interior.
You mentioned ventillation which keeps coming up as a necessity. At the moment it's only ventillation is from the minor gaps & breathability of the timber frame. I am planning insulating it, do you think I should add ventillation then?
Cheers
P.S half considering thr cocoon as well
My garage & the previous one where the restoration was carried out over nearly 20 years was integral so only has one single skin brick face exposed to the elements; one of the biggest causes of damp garages. This helps keep it fairly dry, at a fairly constant temperature & above freezing in winter. The only ventilation comes from a naturally loose fitting up & over door at one end & an equally poor fitting access door at the other end so a sort of through draft persists. If you regularly work in there during winter, the natural tendency is to seal all the gaps to reduce draughts but this removes natural ventilation & can make things worse. In this case I would advise additional ventilation of some sort but the natural ventilation in most garages with loose fitting doors at opposing ends will probably be sufficient. It’s also important to prevent water from driving rain getting in under the door & pooling inside the garage. Both my garages have (had) a forward projecting canopy around 1 metre & although the door doesn’t have a seal, the floor under it has a steeply downward sloping edge; the rear access door has a step over cill so water doesn’t find in that way. If you’re planning insulating the walls, I would use something with an integral vapour control barrier to prevent moisture penetration that way.
I would also add that my car never, ever goes out in the wet
;sad maybe but means I never bring any moisture back into the garage.
I would also add that my car never, ever goes out in the wet
;sad maybe but means I never bring any moisture back into the garage. My first 2 cars in the 1970's were Triumph Vittesse convertables. I recall looking on in envy at the poseurs in TR6's. I now find myself often on e bay looking at them, and dreaming. Don't get many for auction up here. Whereas there is always one or two in Norfolk. Next time I see one I might get my son to look at it. He lives in Reedham
I've owned my car since 1975, have been a member of the TR Register for nearly as long & a daily contributor to the excellent TR Forum from 2003 up until a year ago & my advice is to be very, very careful of what’s on offer on E bay or any other auction for that matter. There have been numerous instances of scams involving members & even a dealers car being offered for sale which (to those that know) clearly aren’t genuine & the whole purpose is to rob you of your cash, one way or another. Just this weekend a valuable TR5 was stolen from a classic car show in Essex & who knows where that will end up; but hopefully it will still be in one piece.
To get a bit nurdy; there is a TR6 to suit every budget & if you really want one, my advice would be to follow a route through the Register, the TR Forum or one of the dedicated dealers, who are usually also members; there is one in Cambdridge & Stoke Ferry. They are in business to make a living for sure but you won’t get ripped off &, more importantly, you wont get scammed.
Early last year I went to view one in Durham, for auction on Ebay. It was rough with rust around the rear wheel arches and bottom of doors. The engine would not tick over smoothly, which according to the owners admission was due to a hybrid fuel injection system. It was tested and the test drive was ok. He said he needed the bidding to achieve 8k
Realising its condition,and mindful that it could be restored I set my max bid at £5500. A year later he still had the car, parked on his drive with for sale signs on it. It did eventually disappear.
Ill be visiting my son in Reedham shortly. I will try make it ccoincide with something desirable on Ebay in that area.
Bill
Realising its condition,and mindful that it could be restored I set my max bid at £5500. A year later he still had the car, parked on his drive with for sale signs on it. It did eventually disappear.
Ill be visiting my son in Reedham shortly. I will try make it ccoincide with something desirable on Ebay in that area.
Bill
From your description a bid of £5k sounds about right; you need to be careful with cars in this price bracket though, under what looks like a slightly rusty skin they can be hiding a whole lot worse & although the early PI’s are desirable (as mine), problems/wear can be expensive to sort out. At the lower end, it’s sometimes best to go for a basket case that’s has all the major components with it & mainly original & then restore it; they still turn up occasionally but restoration costs can get frightening. £8k should get you a reasonable car but £10-£12k would buy you a very respectable car indeed & this is always the best price bracket to go for. Mines valued at £16k+ but is one of the best & original rebuilt cars you will see.
Have a look/lurk here;
http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums...=Z-A&sort_key=last_post&topicfilter=all&st=90
Members cars turn up frequently & they are always a good bet. Or post what your looking for on the Forum, sometimes it’s enough to prompt someone who’s thinking of selling & it’s just coming up to the right time of year for it.
Appologies to the OP for hijacking, getting nurdy again
Have a look/lurk here;
http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums...=Z-A&sort_key=last_post&topicfilter=all&st=90
Members cars turn up frequently & they are always a good bet. Or post what your looking for on the Forum, sometimes it’s enough to prompt someone who’s thinking of selling & it’s just coming up to the right time of year for it.
Appologies to the OP for hijacking, getting nurdy again
