tr7triumph.com

Hi everyone,hope you all had a good Christmas.
I have recently lost my secure garage and need to store my car outside on my drive.
Do any of you store your car outside permanently under a cover and if so which one?
I am looking for the best one out there as it needs to last at least a couple of years.I am in the UK.
Cheers.PJ.

Hey nightmare scenario I know, however, if you have the space there are instant garages out there which may do the job, just put "instant garage" into google and see what comes up. I can't vouch for longevity as I have never used one but they look interesting.
Cheers, Calvin



1978 TR7V8 FHC
1962 Herald Coupe 1200
1989 Peugeot 205 xs
2003 Peugeot 206 GTI
2009 VW Passat

I got an expensive (ish) one via the TR Register which cost about £120 and seemed OK. Breathable and soft layer inside to protect the paintwork but after 2 years its falling to pieces. The sunlight seems to have rotted the material and all the seams are splitting.

Russ

1981 TR7 Sprint DHC
Dursley
UK

http://tr7russ.blogspot.co.uk/

I don't think the car covers are a good long term bet. They do tend to trap condensation in nooks and crannies of the car and I have found that if the wind flaps the cover about at all, this can dull the paintwork with the rubbing of the material

1980 UK BRG 2L DHC

Instant garages whilst useful are rarely subtle in appearance and take up more space than you might assume. supercass

A well secured good quality <i>tailored</i> car cover should prevent most of the problems with the cover flapping about and causing damage. decent ones iirc typically have a guarantee of five years.

Hi - I bought a 'portable' garage, cost about £800 but bespoke.
2.4m wide - and long enough to get a work bench at the end.

Alloy Frame covered with pipe-insulation, then a heavy duty canvas cover with zipped end for access. Once in place the canvas 'shrinks' around the frame for a tight, flap-free fit. Comes in green or blue.

Screwed to paving slabs to prevent uplift, and a loose plywood floor to stop 'rising-damp'.

Does the job, and no planning-permission needed as it's classed as temporary..

Better solution than a pram-type pullover or a loose cover held down with bungee cords. And much less-intrusive than a caravan parked on the drive...

Maxwell [;)]


2.0 TR7 FHC \ Current
1.8 Mazda MX5 \ Current

I too had an expensive one that fell to bits in about 3 years. I have just bought a replacement from Halfords of all places for £49.99. Looks the same as the dear one but time will tell how good it is.

No condensation forms but I do remove the cover for a few hours most weekends weather permitting.


1980 Persian Aqua DHC

Hi PJ have a look at the covers on the Hamilton site really good and excellent quality covers £160 for the TR7.

Cheers
Moe

It gets dry & dusty around here at times. I found, even in a carport, with mostly grass around it, dust would get under any cover I used. Even covers with straps under the car to stop them flapping, the cover moving on dust abraded the paint.

a little water Would get up under the cover, or through the breathable fabric & the roof of the car would be wet. I have seen another car where this caused very small pimples in the paint in any flat area. after a week of rain in hot conditions.

As some might know I converted an old greenhouse by covering it with Hypalon fabric, & can store 4 cars in it, or garage 3. This stuff will last over 10 years in the tropics when used for a boat hood, permanently in the water in my experience.





Not pretty, but this is large & very high due to it's previous use. It could be any height. It is cool, & very light inside so easy to work in, & the cover is now 4 or 5 years old.

The wind break was planted about 15 years ago, when one of our regular 80+ knots storms went through, splitting the stitching on the old greenhouse cover. I must prune them, as I am worried one might blow over in one of the storms.

It cost me $2000 to supply & fit the cover. It's 12M by 8M, & a same size shed would cost about $14,000 around here before the floor.

Hasbeen

I moved to another state and left my car outside at my cousins shop for one winter. He did a few things I needed done before I had it shipped in the spring. I left it covered with a good quality cover. When I got the car the paint was toast! It wasn't a particularly snowy or wet winter but the wind on the cover was enough to really do some damage. The car would have been better off without a cover.

Craig '75 2.0 FHC

I'd also stay away from covering the car with a cover for an extended period during humid weather.....the paint just can't breath and damage could result.
Covers are best for keeping sirt off the car during indoor storage or temporary outdoor parking with the "proper" material.

I'm with the others for a temporary car shelter, though they can also be humid, there still air to move around as they are not air tight.
A good idea for long term parking would include a tarp under the car to trap humidity from the ground and jacking the car so that plenty of air can pass through the underside.

I have a 10x20 shelter that I use every year for my daily driver as I hate scraping ice or removing snow on cold winter mornings ....
-it also served a couple of years as my Triumphs resting space while we did some major house renos and the garage became a wood work shop.

Its amazing how much room you have in one of these structures , they are even comfortable enough to do some light repairs on the cars when required , though not as nice as the heated work shop though [B)]







Ron.

Thanks for fixing the photos Ron.

Interesting the cars are the same, but the problems exactly the opposite. Around here it is heat. Even in winter, it can get too hot working in a tin shed. Perspiration dripping off your nose & eyebrows can make it hard to see what you are doing.

I do most of my work under a tree beside the shed, where it is more comfortable, & the light is better. I have a couple of 10Ft lengths of 3Ft wide reinforced rubber coal loading conveyer belting, which I lay on the grass, to stop all those nuts & washers disappearing in the grass.

I do admire your lovely snow, but I'm not sure I'd want to live with it.

Hasbeen

<font color="green">I have an expensive fitted, soft lined, breathable cover which I bought a few years back when I had two TR7s and one had to sit outside. Now I am back to only having one it lives in the garage and the cover is never used. Cost me nearly £200 at the time but just sits in the garage doing nothing now. Yours for £50 if you are interested and can pick it up from Bedford. Too bulky/awkward to be posted.</font id="green">

<font color="green">Gordon
GRD 1980 Brooklands Green 2l FHC
OVC 1980 Platinum Silver 3.9l V8 FHC (sadly now sold cost of fuel etc. too much for a now retired person)
Bedford, UK.
</font id="green">

Hi Gordon,

If PJ doesn't take you up on your offer on the cover I'll gladly buy it off you. I'm not far away from you and am heading up your way next weekend to collect an ebay purchase.

We're having some building work done and the Wedge will be exiled from its garage soon for several months.

Cheers,

Adam




TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, S/S Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes all round, Anti- Dive, Strut-Top Roller Bearings, Capri Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 14" 5 Spokes or Maestro Turbo 15" Alloys, Cruise Lights, S/S Heater Pipes, Replacement Fuel Tank. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991 courtesy of S&S V8 conversion kit (built not bought) and big brake kit.