Long term storage when off the road

[salgarfi]

Hello All,

It's been quite a while since I've been on the forum, but I've recently had my T25 fully restored - the works - and I now have to think about the way in which I store her while I'm not using her. She used to be my daily run-about as well as my camper, but now I have another car for daily use, so Honoria (that's her name) will be off the road for much more time than she used to be. She's an Auto-Sleeper high top so she can't go under cover, but her body work is now pristine and I'd like to know the best way of preserving it, especially during the winter. I have toyed with the idea of getting some kind of fitted cover, like people have for caravans, but would that only increase condensation and potential rust? What would/do some of you do in this situation? Any hints or pointers would be really helpful.

Thanks,

Sal

[sarran1955]

Hello,

Can you find a friendly someone with a barn.. and a dust cover..

Got 3 of them in my barn....

no rain no rust..

Cordialement,

[a1winchester]

I am in a similar situation to you. But I decided it's best to run the van on a regular basis - at least once a week. I keep it well polished and waxed, which helps to make cleaning it easier.
The main benefit, of course is the pleasure of driving my lovelly ban!

[salgarfi]

I do have a dilapidated chapel that I have used as a carport come garage, but it's roof has collapsed and some of its walls are dodgy. I can't repair it yet because of costs, so I guess I might have to go down the route of just keeping Honoria well waxed and driven every week or two. Hmmm...

[multisi]

I have one van wrapped up, i buy a roll of thin builders plastic 4m x 25m. Roll out about 7m , put van on it leaving 2m at the rear then bring plastic up at the sides and tape to van. Go to front lift up rest of the roll and un roll going back over the rear and tape to sides . Then put a one of the silver covers with straps over the plastic. I do this on a low humidity day with little wind and now and then uncover the rear and vent it opening the tailgate aswell. If this is all done on low humidity days it does not sweat. The downside is the paint is rubbing through on the edges of the roof , but the van is a rust free project and will get a full strip down and repaint eventually. The fuel tank is empty.

[Moonrakers]

Wax it carefully with quality carnauba-based wax every 3 months or so and drive it every week if you can. It's startling how mechanical systems begin to degrade without use, all kinds of issues start occurring... stale fluids, sticking parts, damp interiors, hardening rubber, moisture collecting where is shouldn't, settings changing and all kinds. Even one Winter of idleness can sometimes give all manner of irritating problems come Spring (just as would happen to us if we stayed in bed for 3 months straight!)

Now you are fortunate enough to have a restored vehicle, you can trust the paint to do its job properly protecting the body and you can help the rest by getting it hot and ventilated. If you have a jet washer that will give you extra peace of mind by being able to get rid of any road salt from underneath during the cold snaps (unless you've had everything undersealed, of course.)

[salgarfi]

Wax it carefully with quality carnauba-based wax every 3 months or so and drive it every week if you can. It's startling how mechanical systems begin to degrade without use, all kinds of issues start occurring... stale fluids, sticking parts, damp interiors, hardening rubber, moisture collecting where is shouldn't, settings changing and all kinds. Even one Winter of idleness can sometimes give all manner of irritating problems come Spring (just as would happen to us if we stayed in bed for 3 months straight!)

Now you are fortunate enough to have a restored vehicle, you can trust the paint to do its job properly protecting the body and you can help the rest by getting it hot and ventilated. If you have a jet washer that will give you extra peace of mind by being able to get rid of any road salt from underneath during the cold snaps (unless you've had everything undersealed, of course.)

Yes, this seems to be the best solution. I did think of SORNing her during the Winter, but the savings on road tax might not be worth it. She's too nice to maltreat!

[a1winchester]

I'm guessing you paid a pretty penny to get her in the current condition? So don't you owe it to yourself to enjoy driving it regularly?

[captain Byrne]

It's a tricky one. I was once castigated for even suggesting I put my van in storage for the winter. Truth is, for many owners, (myself included), it's just not practical to run the van during the winter, especially when there's little space. My job just doesn't allow me to use a 35 yr campervan on a daily or even weekly basis. I don't have space for two vehicles & I need a reliable economical car that I'm confident will get me from A to B in X number of hrs. Being self-employed makes it even more critical - If I can't make a job or I break down or am delayed too long then I lose the client & my income. My only option is to keep the van holed up until the sun comes out & I then use it as much as possible. Call me a fair-weather owner - not bothered really as there's no other real alternative way of keeping it.

[Moonrakers]

It's a tricky one. I was once castigated for even suggesting I put my van in storage for the winter. Truth is, for many owners, (myself included), it's just not practical to run the van during the winter, especially when there's little space. My job just doesn't allow me to use a 35 yr campervan on a daily or even weekly basis. I don't have space for two vehicles & I need a reliable economical car that I'm confident will get me from A to B in X number of hrs. Being self-employed makes it even more critical - If I can't make a job or I break down or am delayed too long then I lose the client & my income. My only option is to keep the van holed up until the sun comes out & I then use it as much as possible. Call me a fair-weather owner - not bothered really as there's no other real alternative way of keeping it.

You only have to look at that website 'howmanyleft' (a resource showing how many examples of any model of vehicle is still taxed and presumed on-the-road) to see that you're by no means alone - look up T25's and you'll see a funny graph swinging up and down every Summer and Winter as the vans are taken off the road and SORN'ed before being taxed again the next year. there are loads of owners who do it. It's just that around here we have the hard-core who do actually use them as their sole daily transport, are retired, self-employed or who simply enjoy driving them all the time for the sake of it. I'm in the latter category but am fortunate enough to have plenty of space at home so that the van's easy to keep on stand-by. I'm also the kind of weirdo who drives their convertible about with the roof down in January despite constant disapproving looks, so taking the van out on icy days and making tea in it after dog-walks feels quite normal to me...