Any advice on convertibles getting wet appreciated.

[Stuartandsue]

Hi All, We had our car (1953 Splitscreen Tourer) out in the rain last night for the first time since we bought it, we went to a local club meeting in Mansfield with it, (nice bunch)... it was sunny on the way there but then totally tipped it down for an hour or two..

Happily (fearing the worst) after the meeting we got back to the car and were relieved to find no sign of leaks anywhere... we drove it home in the rain and again no sign of leaks from roof or screen or anything... however by this time the roof seemed to have soaked up a lot of water and the car was obviously drenched.

I was hoping to get some advice as to what more experienced owners do when they get their car home very wet...

When we got home we wiped it down with microfiber cloths, soaked up as much water off the car with those wiped the, chrome and paint as best we could and then took the wet cloths out of the garage to dry so they don't create condensation...

We put an oil filled radiator on in the garage and left the car doors open al night to dry it out...

I have ordered a tin of Fabsil Gold for the roof as it did seem to soak up a lot of water but then it chucked it down for a couple of hours...

We will re-polish the paint and chrome again soon when I do the hood Fabsil but was wondering if there are any other good tips for avoiding rust and corrosion etc... we wouldn't drive it with salt on the road but I don't want the English summer rainy weather to put us off going to shows due to us worrying about it suffering !

Another member who had a very nice example said last night that when he gets his home he squeegees his off and doesn't put his car cover on till its fully dry as he doesn't want to seal in the moisture which makes sense.

[ManyMinors]

Hi All, We had our car (1953 Splitscreen Tourer) out in the rain last night for the first time since we bought it

I was hoping to get some advice as to what more experienced owners do when they get their car home very wet...

When we got home we wiped it down with microfiber cloths, soaked up as much water off the car with those wiped the, chrome and paint as best we could and then took the wet cloths out of the garage to dry so they don't create condensation...

Blimey, that sounds a lot of work! When my 1950s Minor convertible gets very wet (which is most days as it lives outside....) I just wait for the sun and wind to dry it. Like you, I try not to drive it on salty roads but it is well rustproofed underneath and kept reasonable clean but it is driven most days and covers around 6000miles per year. It doesn't seem to suffer.

Just use and enjoy your car. Personally, I can't see any point at all in putting a wet car in a garage. It'll dry off better outside

[Trickydicky]

I have a 14" desk fan mounted in the ceiling of the garage which is on a timer, it comes on every couple of hours. This creates air movement which helps dry the car if I put it away wet. I find its a good thing to keep the air moving as during the winter the side garage door never gets opened and there was little air movement with the door shut.

[The vast minority]

A big seconding of the fan method.

I don't have a convertible but I have had rag tops in the past.

My policy has always been, and continues to be run the car up to hot and remove all visible water with a chamois and put it away in the garage with an oscillating fan with car doors and windows, boot and bonnet open.
This is the way i do and it dries the car very thoroughly.

[Stuartandsue]

Many thanks for the advice. I think the fan sounds a great idea.

I'm sure we'll be a lot less precious about it now it has been wet for the first time. We are new Minor owners and it feels a big responsibility owning a 60+ year old car. We are also old enough to have bought old bangers in the 1980s for our first cars and spent hours repairing rust holes in the bodywork!

Sue

[panky]

The fan works a treat. I've got one on a timer set to come on for half an hour every couple of hours and everything stays nice and dry. I used to have a terrible problem with condensation on the corrugated plastic roof on my garage 'extension' but all is good now

[Peetee]

For years we had a huge condensation problem in our house that was cured practically overnight with a portable dehumidifier. I cannot understate just how efficient these things can be. It was about £100 online but, for the effort and heartache it has eliminated I would have gladly paid double. I am sure one of these in your garage would be just the job and, if you think they could be useful in the house too then all the better!

[bmcecosse]

The running costs are not insignificant...... dry garage, good ventilation and the fans to move the air around as others have suggested seem to work well - and will cost a LOT less.

[liammonty]

The other thing to point out about dehumidifiers is that they rely on a reasonable degree (no pun intended) of ambient temperature - i.e. if your garage is unheated (as mine certainly is!) when the temperature is low, the dehumidifier won't do much at all. They work best in nice warm houses. I have to agree with Monsieur Ecosse - heating AND dehumidifying a garage would not be cheap!

I'm getting in a panic now - my Landcrab, T2 VW and my Citroen DS are all out in the rain !!! The Minor is in the dry though. Phew!

[amgrave]

A desiccant type de-hum works at low temperatures, it's the compressor ones that wont. They blow out warm air too which is a benefit in the garage but as above they do cost a bit to run but not as much as you think and they are not on all the time as they have a humidistat in them.

[Stuartandsue]

I have a 14" desk fan mounted in the ceiling of the garage which is on a timer, it comes on every couple of hours. This creates air movement which helps dry the car if I put it away wet. I find its a good thing to keep the air moving as during the winter the side garage door never gets opened and there was little air movement with the door shut.

OK I will go for the fan method sounds good... I have a 12" oscillating fan I can put in there...

I remember when I was a mechanic if you get your tools wet working on cars or working in the rain then fair dibs because as long as you dry them out they will last forever and never rust... (Leave your metal tools wet and they rust)...

I am thinking if I can remove the damp and air whenever we get home we don't have to worry so much about it dissolving like the witch at the end of " The Wizard of Oz "

Thanks for that....

Different note but another possible tip I got recently for my van...

My van gets very damp in the winter and gets water on the inside of the screen and it freezes solid or mists up the window in winter... this sounds daft but how I was advised to stop this...

I filled pair of ladies nylon tights (not mine, the wife's) up with cat litter so it doesn't go anywhere... its cheap and soaks up loads of moisture like those sachets that you get in camera bags.. I stuck it in a brewing bucket and stood it in footwall of van when its not in use in the winter...

It worked ! No condensation inside the van !




( Like the witch at the end of the Wizard of OZ !!! )