Car cover advice

[mr.twistyneck]

I need to store my beater 72 Plymouth custom suburban wagon in my driveway for a couple of months. I would like to cover it, but I have heard of nightmares where doing so accelerates deterioration. Any advice on how best to cover it, as well as recommendations for any company that provides such solutions (like a cover)?
Thanks!
mr.twistyneck

 

[Just Carbs]

I gave up on covers years ago. Fortunately, I have room to use the little 10x17 portable $175 Harbour Freight garages for all the cars that don't live in the garage. I ratchet strap them down to the wheels of the cars. I don't use the front or back panels, just the one-piece roof and sides. No rain, no sun, no trapped condensation, no car contact.
But lots of dust and pollen. Maybe a light cover for that?

 

[Imperialist67]

I keep a (late model) car in the driveway at my house in NoVa covered, but mainly to protect it from the sun, California Car Covers are always good, and the lighter weights are more affordable. They are NOT waterproof, which seems to be the key to prevent them from causing deterioration otherwise. The (extra cost) mirror pockets seem unnecessary, but as it turns out, are very effective at keeping the cover on the car.

 

[Polara_500_Jr]

Dad kept the Polara in the driveway for a winter with a heavy cover on it. It moved enough in the wind to mostly wear through the paint on the trunk area.

Id personally rather wash it a few times than cover it outdoors again.
]

 

[MoPar~Man]

Indoor style car cover then over that, polyethelene 6-mil vapor barrier.

I place a high value on keeping the car dry, and vapor barrier does that. Some trays of silica gel beads for humidity control (not needed for only a couple of months).

Cover your car with a sheet of vapor barrier, weight it down at the corners with some bricks, put a cheap ($30 - $60) indoor fabric car cover under the ploy if you have one. Rain wil glide right off. You can buy rolls of poly from home despot, etc, 10 ft wide is the minimum I've seen. 10 ft x 50 ft.

 

[Big_John]

I need to store my beater 72 Plymouth custom suburban wagon in my driveway for a couple of months. I would like to cover it, but I have heard of nightmares where doing so accelerates deterioration. Any advice on how best to cover it, as well as recommendations for any company that provides such solutions (like a cover)?
Thanks!
mr.twistyneck

If it's only for a couple months, and you are still planning on driving it, I wouldn't cover it.

Here's the problems with covers... The car has to be clean or you scratch the paint when you put it on or take it off. If the car is dirty, then the cover is dirty too. That's a problem when you are driving it. They get dirty or dusty. Do you want to clean up the car every time you cover it?

Wind will also whip the cover and wear the the paint on the edges of the car. That is a bigger problem with universal covers rather than covers tailored to fit.

Probably the worst problem is moisture. You need the cover to "breathe" so it doesn't hold moisture, but that doesn't make it waterproof. If you make it waterproof, then it doesn't breathe. The cover also gets more bulky and harder to use and store. IMHO, it's a formula for rust no matter what you do.

You can buy covers made for outdoor use, but a custom made is going to be $$$. I just looked it up and it was $785 for '72 Fury. That wasn't a station wagon... and honestly, I don't think you'll be able to buy one custom made for a wagon. Even a universal fit is probably going to be $100.

I have California Car Covers, made by Covercraft, for my cars. For most of the year, they get left in the bags. The only time I use them is when they are being stored inside over the winter.

 

[MoPar~Man]

You hear a lot about covers being able to "breath". I think that language comes from the world of human outdoor wear, jackets, etc. People perspire, you can't wrap them in water or vapor-impermeable materials or you will get condensation on the inside surface. It's a huge deal for high-performance outer wear that the material can pass water vapor but not water droplets. Cars don't perspire, you can cover them with impermeable material.

Car cover makers want you to believe that you can't or shouldn't cover your car with something that doesn't "breath" because they *can't* make an impermeable water-proof cover. At least not one that can be folded and stand up to UV. Or it would be very heavy, probably use rubber, and be too expensive for a viable product. They want you to think that your car needs to "breath" and your car perspires like you do, so they can sell you something that "breathes".

A lot of inexpensive indoor car covers are made from so-called "non-woven" fabric which commonly made from spunbond polypropylene. They have the feel of fabric and will readily absorb water. If you cover your car with that sort of cover, or a conventional cotton cover, then over that you just drop a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier sheet over it, let it hang down past the windows on both sides of the car, let it hang down to the ground on the front and back, weigh it down with blocks on the front and back, maybe throw a rope around the middle if it's windy.

If the car "sweats" and it "can't breath" then you would see the car cover get wet where it is covered by the vapor barrier. I never see this, unless there is a hole or cut or tear in the vapor barrier to let rain in directly from above. During these summer months the odds of the car body reaching the dew point temperature is going to be a lot lower than other times of the year.

 

[Just Carbs]

Yes, DEW POINT. And moisture from underneath. Unavoidable.
That's why I park the cars over a vinyl tarp and under a raised roof, any raised roof that don't touch the car.

 

[mr.twistyneck]

Thank you for all the great advice!