Putting my '78 into hibernation for a while

[jeremy93ls]

I love these ideas. The charcoal trick sounds great.

 

I thought about tossing a handful of silica gel packets inside to absorb moisture. I wonder if one could lower a mesh bag of those packets into a [dry] fuel tank to prevent rust over time?

[rossiz]

here's a trick my PO taught me: throw a bag of real toasted oats cereal and years from now pieces will fall on your feet as you drive. 

seriously though, you'll want to protect from critters and insects (not sure how sealed up your garage is) that can nest in, munch on and hoard inside air intakes.

 

clean it very well, give her a coat of wax, spray WD40 on a rag and give anything that might corrode (exposed polished alloy) a light wipe. make sure it is dry, dry, dry (carpet backing holds water forever) get a car cover and keep the windows down a few inches under the cover - that will allow some air circulation so you don't get mildew inside.

 

oh, and if you do the charcoal trick, ya might want to stay away from the "match light" variety 

[FastWoman]

^^^^  

 

About the silica gel idea -- not a bad idea!  But most people don't really know how the stuff works.  As a photographer in a soupy climate, I use the stuff a lot.  It actually buffers moisture, more than absorbing it.  To be clear, it WILL absorb moisture, but only until it reaches a equilibrium.  And you can reach that equilibrium point much faster than you might think.

 

The main benefit of silica gel is that is absorbs moisture as the air cools (and RH tries to rise), but it also gives off moisture when temperature rises and RH tries to fall.  In a perfectly sealed space (e.g. the gast tank, hopefully), humidity will remain stabilized at some value.  In a leaky space (probably the cabin of your car), there will be enough air exchange past leaky seals and through vents that you could never hope to keep the humidity at any target other than the AVERAGE humidity of your garage.

 

If you want to control humidity, my recommendation would be to put a dehumidifier in the garage space and crack the windows.  Dehumidification during the winter in a cold space can be challenging.  I've had great success with the Ecoseb Simple desiccant dehumidifier, which doesn't really care about temperature and operates about as efficiently at any temp.  It will also warm the garage very slightly.

 

I also like the idea of the silica gel bags in the gas tank.  I would think that would be done best by draining the gas and then letting it all evaporate.  Then put maybe 100g of silica gel (either loose or in packet form) into a cotton sock, hung by the gas cap into the tank.  If you get indicator gel, it will change color as it takes on moisture.  Periodically remove the gel, and dehydrate it (driving it to a lower RH set point).  You can do this very easily during the summer by throwing it in the hot attic for a few days.  (Seal it up in a zip-loc bag whenever the attic is not HOT, so that it doesn't re-absorb moisture.)  During the winter, you can do this by putting the desiccant in a stream of furnace air for a few days.

 

But of course if you do all of this, you can't start your car every month or two!

Edited June 23, 2015 by FastWoman

[Pop's Z]

I've used dryer fabric softener sheets to keep critters at bay. I don't know if it really works, but I've had no critters. I just put them everywhere: on the shelf behind the seats, under the seats, in the intake to the air cleaner, up the exhaust pipe, behind the dash, etc. I've used moth balls before, but the lingering smell was not pleasant. Now I just put them around the car on the garage floor...sort of like a defensive position. Good luck with your storage. +1 on the empty gas tank.

 

Cheers, Mike

[Patcon]

In my shop, I run a Frigidaire dehumidifier 24 -7. It is set to 50% RH and has a drain hose leading outside so I never have to empty it. If it gets set any higher things start to rust and mold.