Car storage woes

Hello all,

  I'm having issues with storing my cars indoors. So for the past 10+ years I have had 3 cars in my 2 car garage. I've been able to do so by knocking down a wall that was in the garage for a small work area. The third car gets pulled into the garage, and then put on casters and tucked in the side. This car has pretty much always been my RX-7. This spring/summer I pulled it out, and stored it at a friends storage building for his business. He usually keeps his boats there, and some other equipment. He had all the boats out, and had the space so I took him up on the offer so that we could get our father/son project Montero in the garage. We didn't make as much progress as I wanted, and the engine is stripped down to basically the block for replacement of the head gaskets.

Of course my buddy needed his storage back for the boats so the RX-7 had to come out which it did on Labor day. So since then the RX-7 has been outside which is really killing me. I worry that the rain, and crud will make it start to rust even though it's in really good condition. However it never sits outside so I worry.

I want to get it back inside, but then I have to take the Montero project out with a fully disassembled engine. The RX-7 is my baby though, and worth a whole hell of a lot more than this POS Mitsubishi.

I have the structure of an old tent garage in the back yard, but it needs a new cover as the old one tore apart years ago. I can get a new cover from the manufacturer for $100 plus shipping. Do I do that, and get the Montero in there? If so, what do I do about the disassembled engine to keep it reasonably okay over the winter? Duct tape up all of the orifices? Shrink wrap it somehow? Get a storage bay locally for the RX-7(pricey$$)? Anyone localish that has an indoor dry storage spot for a small Japanese car?

I would put the Montero in the side yard, the RX-7 in the garage, and move some other stuff in the garage around so that you can get the Montero's engine in the garage too.  RX-7s are a whole lot smaller than Monteros, I suspect you can fit it and the engine into the space the Montero is taking up.

How much to rent a storage locker for the RX7 this one winter season?   Then the Rx7 is safe offsite while you can still do indoor work over the winter on the Montero

I think it was $150 a month last I checked for a storage space locally that was big enough for a car.

I'll sell you an enclosed trailer for a decent price, you'll have a portable garage, sorry couldn't resist. I'd second finish yanking the engine from the Montero and clearing a spot in a corner. Then get an HF engine stand, cheap money and convenient. Or if you get desperate, you can store the REPU at my house. I'll make sure sure it gets some exercise.

Do you have any older neighbors? An older couple or widow using one bay of a two car garage may let you park the RX7 for a more reasonable price or maybe you can trade for shoveling snow /cutting grass or whatever.

rustybugkiller said:

Do you have any older neighbors? An older couple or widow using one bay of a two car garage may let you park the RX7 for a more reasonable price or maybe you can trade for shoveling snow /cutting grass or whatever.

This!  

My grandfather did this with an old Cadillac he had.  It turns out his widowed neighbor really wanted a "man's car" in her garage.  He didn't have room, it made her feel safer, and he got to keep his pride and joy (but I cant remember the year or model to save my life).

You never know.  It just might work!

Hungary Bill said:

rustybugkiller said:

Do you have any older neighbors? An older couple or widow using one bay of a two car garage may let you park the RX7 for a more reasonable price or maybe you can trade for shoveling snow /cutting grass or whatever.

This!  

My grandfather did this with an old Cadillac he had.  It turns out his widowed neighbor really wanted a "man's car" in her garage.  He didn't have room, it made her feel safer, and he got to keep his pride and joy (but I cant remember the year or model to save my life).

You never know.  It just might work

This sounds suspiciously like thinly veiled wording for grandpa was sticking it to the widow

In reply to Patrick :

gotta be honest here. I wouldnt put it passed him

Go Grandpa.   My wife (Nanny) would see through that one.  Dude unless the Mitsi is a "Keeper" 1 winter outside won't kill it, and a tractor supply/HF good quality Tarp to cover that old Frame is only a hundred bucks or less and I buy them in Brown so not so Offinsive to the HOA.

The montero isn't a keeper per se, and I'm not worried about it being outside necessarily. I do worry about the engine being torn apart and outside however. 

Find a place to store the RX7 and keep working on the Montero with your boy. You can always find one of those guys who shrink wraps boats and have him come to you and wrap the RX7 and store it outside. A couple hundred bucks around here.

The monetary value of any car will never compare to the time spent with your kids which you can never get back. 

Wherever you stash the RX-7 or the Montero, put comprehensive-only insurance policies on them if they are not already fully insured.  It should be less than $20 per car per year, and it will protect them from everything that your or your buddy's or your unit renter's homeowners / liability policies won't.  Which is pretty much everything that could happen to a car in storage.

   well put the mazda in the tent,     make sure the Tarp is a bit larger than the frame it'll seal tight.