I have too many cars, not enough space, and given that the racecar has no roof, it is pretty much always taking up 1/2 garage spaces. Thinking if I got a 20' or 40' Conex container dropped (probably at my parents if I were able to convince them of such...) I could easily store 2-3 cars and some parts in there...
Anyone done this before?
They're smaller than you think. A 40' MIGHT get three cars and nothing else but you'll have to crawl out of the windows to get out of the car.
Shipping containers also sweat when the weather changes. Your car will probably grow mold and rust.
I'm planning on replacing a shed with a 20'. They sell for about two large around here. I've certainly stared at enough of them. Probably make me long for days gone by. Or be glad that I'm not out there today with idiot captains like the one that killed himself and 32 others on the SS El Faro in 2015.
Humidity is a real problem. Add some ventilation.
^^ what they said. The business I work at rented one to store a bunch of furniture for a few months during renovation. WHen they opened it back up , everything was moldy, musty and pretty much ruined. Even in my shed out back (which has some venitlation), I got some mold in my parts car stored in there. A shipping container would be 10x worse.
I'd just say get a soft-shelter kind of thing, with ventilation.
Hoard silica gel packs? Dry them out in the oven first! Sorry. It's the weekend. 
We got a 40’ semi trailer with a working hydraulic lift gate and good batteries for around $2000 delivered. We use it for work materials and it has vents in the wall so no sweating issues. I’ve looked at the liftgate a few times wondering how it would take to extending enough to get a small car up into one.
a few of these should keep things from getting too musty
Solar vent Fans run 24/7 as they also have batteries for when the sun goes down. Boats use them to keep mold at bay
One of the things we do at work is fab shipping containers into custom containment for other things. It's very easy to add ventilation and/or dryers to a unit. Getting in and out of your cars would be a pain. I would probably suggest adding some access doors. They are tough and would last forever. They can be moved very easily if needed. They are also ugly sitting in your backyard. With all that said I wouldn't do it, there better options for storing a car.
D2W said:One of the things we do at work is fab shipping containers into custom containment for other things. It's very easy to add ventilation and/or dryers to a unit. Getting in and out of your cars would be a pain. I would probably suggest adding some access doors. They are tough and would last forever. They can be moved very easily if needed. They are also ugly sitting in your backyard. With all that said I wouldn't do it, there better options for storing a car.
A mostly used up old racecar trailer would be infinitely more mobile and way less eyesore in the yard
I did this exact thing in L.A. The parking lot was big so the owner let me put a 40' container on it which I used as a garage/storage. When I left for the summers I would put two cars in it.
In L.A. it wasn't bad because it didn't rain much. The containers don't leak but they're far from sealed. When its rainy or humid, the air inside gets just as humid as outside and then its partially trapped. It can get musty but its honestly one of the best storage options. A vent fan is recommended for areas that are rainy or wetter than southern CA.
I rent a 40' Conex. I've got 3 cars in there, plus parts. They are just as wide as a car trailer.
No issues sweating, etc.
If you are trying to fit large American iron, it's a little tight, but doable.
I pay $95 per month for 320 SF of storage. Lighted, fenced commercial property. Can't beat it. 
Landlord rents 1 to a guy who has a wood shop inside. He runs a generator. 
I live in costal Alabama and humidity here is always a problem year round but summers are particularly bad. I run a dehumidifier 24/7 year round in my garage/shop and am amazed that the humidity even mid summer is always below 40%. I would think a dehumidifier in a container would do the same and cut down on mold, rust and the musty smell.
Patrick said:D2W said:One of the things we do at work is fab shipping containers into custom containment for other things. It's very easy to add ventilation and/or dryers to a unit. Getting in and out of your cars would be a pain. I would probably suggest adding some access doors. They are tough and would last forever. They can be moved very easily if needed. They are also ugly sitting in your backyard. With all that said I wouldn't do it, there better options for storing a car.
A mostly used up old racecar trailer would be infinitely more mobile and way less eyesore in the yard
Before this idea, I was thinking I would prefer to get an enclosed trailer and just keep the Spitfire in there when not in use or being worked on.
AWSX1686 said:Before this idea, I was thinking I would prefer to get an enclosed trailer and just keep the Spitfire in there when not in use or being worked on.
A Spitfire ought to be easy enough to get in and out of inside a shipping container. Fitting a Camaro in there or even a lot of fairly recent Japanese cars would be a bit trickier, although an access door in the side would help. Much the same trick that would be used on a race trailer.
MadScientistMatt said:AWSX1686 said:Before this idea, I was thinking I would prefer to get an enclosed trailer and just keep the Spitfire in there when not in use or being worked on.
A Spitfire ought to be easy enough to get in and out of inside a shipping container. Fitting a Camaro in there or even a lot of fairly recent Japanese cars would be a bit trickier, although an access door in the side would help. Much the same trick that would be used on a race trailer.
Yeah, and it has no roof, so I can always climb out the top...
I think for now an enclosed trailer will be similar in cost and more useful. Maybe once I have more property...
I wuz thinkin... If you're going to store cars in a container, it being rather difficult to get out of them with the doors closed and all, why not: Put them in neutral. Mount a pulley on the distal end of the container, run a cable under the vehicle, through the pulley, back to the vehicle to a shipping tie down point or tow point. Other end of the cable goes to a winch or comealong, etc., anchored to the back of the car or open end of the shipping container, or even another vehicle behind the one being stored. Work the winch and the vehicle will be pulled into the container. When it's where you want it, reach under and put some tire blocks.
Dr. Hess said:I wuz thinkin... If you're going to store cars in a container, it being rather difficult to get out of them with the doors closed and all, why not: Put them in neutral. Mount a pulley on the distal end of the container, run a cable under the vehicle, through the pulley, back to the vehicle to a shipping tie down point or tow point. Other end of the cable goes to a winch or comealong, etc., anchored to the back of the car or open end of the shipping container, or even another vehicle behind the one being stored. Work the winch and the vehicle will be pulled into the container. When it's where you want it, reach under and put some tire blocks.
Seems like a decent idea to me!
In reply to AWSX1686 :
I don't think a winch is necessary at all.
As long as the tires are aired up, I can push any car 40' on a hard surface (including my 1960 Cadillac).
I just roll my cars in and out of the Conex. Easy Peazey. I've never had help.
In reply to Dr. Hess :
Wow, one of the 3 remaining US-flagged cargo vessels sank? I didn't know that.
I bought a 45 with roll doors and ventilation for bikes. The cor-ten is supposed to be rust resistant, but mine sure has rusted in some spots since I've had it. If you don't care for them they will deteriorate. They do make wide body containers, that is what I would be looking at for cars. Its more money, but it will be easier to get out. Its either that or roll doors which are $500 each. You would need one roll door per car position to get out. You can install home attic type non-powered ventilators on the roof. In my experience this works fine. It would be nice to be have the option to stack containers, and have parts storage on the same footprint as vehicle storage. After all they are designed to stack. But I think the red tape for permits and such makes it not worth it.
Cor-ten is corrosion resistant but it does form a layer of iron oxide on the outside. It shouldn't bubble and fall apart from rust like regular sheet steel.
In reply to Duke :
Yeah. There but for the grace of God, go I. I sailed with a Captain that stupid. I suppose I'm lucky to be alive.
D2W said:One of the things we do at work is fab shipping containers into custom containment for other things. It's very easy to add ventilation and/or dryers to a unit. Getting in and out of your cars would be a pain. I would probably suggest adding some access doors. They are tough and would last forever. They can be moved very easily if needed. They are also ugly sitting in your backyard. With all that said I wouldn't do it, there better options for storing a car.
I wonder if in the right location you could bury it to make underground storage for your car. you'd need to make a ramp and also have the right soil/water table conditions.
Once you have the ramp made you could build a small shed to hide the ramp, ventilation equipment and keep out the weather.
Bonus points if you can sneak it by your HOA.
In reply to jstand :
I'm pretty sure that type of storage facility is usually called a "swimming pool".
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