Hi Everyone - Is there a product or some material that can be placed inside my Vette that will absorb moisture while the car is in storage? If so, what is it, and who would sell it? I'm thinking something like those little silica gel packets, but obviously much larger. Any ideas?

 

A low wattage light bulb like 25W or so. Leave it on 24x7

 

Don't know about that,but it is a good idea to keep your hood open for long periods of storage to keep Mice/rats from chewing up your wires.

 

I use Damp Rid when I park mine for the winter - I picked it up at Home Depot, but you can get it just about anywhere.

http://www.theairfilterstore.com/allergy/damprid.htm

 

Go to any Sporting Goods store--they have different size boxes depending upon your application. They use them in different size gun safes. They last several months--the bottom little tab will turn pink(that means it has absorbed all the moisture it can) pop it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 45 minutes and it will turn blue---good for another several months depending how much moisture your envioronment has--great stuff--I have several.

SEMPER FI--1970 Dave

 

If you have electricity in the storage area, many boat stores sell products to dehumidify the interiors of boats (while covered up on the water).

 

I just read a article on storing woodworking tool that suggests kitty litter tied in bags made from nylon stockings. That should work.

 

i have 3 large desicate bags i keep in the car all the time. i place them in the oven at 200 degrees for a hour once every few mts to dry them out, then put them back in the car- i bought the car with them in it ,,but have seen them in the midamerica catalog(it says midamerica on the bags)

 

Fabric softener sheets will also help keep the mice away, and the car will smell nice when you open it back up.

 

Camper and RV stores sell plastic dessicant containers that are refillable. I like the idea of the bags that can be dried out in the oven better though.

Rick B.

 

The company that sells the CarJacket also sells desiccant that they market as OmniDry. To order packets - 5 lbs call 1-800-522-7224.

It is interesting that they mention that granules begin to aborb moisture when they cool to temperatures below 300 F. They say to pour desiccant into a shallow pan. Spread very thinly. Place in conventional oven and bake for 2 hours at 425 F. Stir once or twice during baking.

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I appreciate the replies.

Here's the situation. I live in Phoenix where, except for the past few weeks, it's always dry, and my Vette had always been garaged since it was repainted and reupholstered several years ago, so the fact that, like a lot C3s, it leaks like a sieve has never been an issue because I never drove it in the rain. Due to some unforeseen circumstances beyond my control (long story) my Vette ended up spending three days and nights outside, and of course, just my luck, it uncharacteristically rained almost non stop for those 72 hours. I wrapped the t-tops and roof area in plastic to keep 'em from leaking heavily, but somewhere water seeped in and thoroughly soaked the carpet and padding in the footwells. I took the car to a car wash today and had them shampoo the carpet, hoping the extractor would suck out the excess water, but the floor, especially on the driver's side remained pretty soaked. I rented a storage unit today to shelter the car from the ongoing bad weather, but I'm concerned about the carpet becoming mildewed since there there is nothing but moist cold air, and no sun forecasted for at least the next week. I used up several towels, and a roll of papertowels applying pressure to the soggy areas of the carpet, drawing out as much water as I could, but the area remains somewhat wet. That's why I was wondering if there was something I could place in the car to absorb moisture. I was hoping it would help prevent mildew as the carpet slowly dries. There is no electricity in the storage unit, so I can't use a hair dryer, space heater or fan. The rain is kicking up again, and I have inop wipers, so I can't take the car anywhere else. All I can do is hope the air in the storage unit will be enough to dry the remainder of the carpet over the next week. I left the windows down and the tops off for the good that will do. My fingers are crossed. I hope I won't have to replace the carpet.

 

Unbelievable. I went to Home Depot today seeking something made for this purpose, and the guy told me there was nothing I could do beyond a box of baking soda to control the possible odor that may come. Then the guy suggested I rip the carpet out of the car and discard it, also commenting that doing so probably wont hurt the value of the car too much. He then suggested I talk to an expert in the carpet dept., but the young snotty hottie working that section was in no rush to help me so I left.

 

is it too much trouble to pull the drivers side seat,and rocker cover to get the carpet pulled upto some kind of a angle allowing the water to run down the carpet and fall out so you can collect it with a rag?? i had a cavilier that i used to do this method to get all the water out of the carpet,until i found where the water was coming in to seal it.it used to fill up the rear passenger foot well with water higher than the carpet(i used to park it up hill on my drivewayso th angle would make the water run to the rear,,to dry it out i would park the car the oppisite way,making the water run towards the front of the car ,then i would pull the carpet up so the water would collect in the floor pan..i did this every time it rained till i figured out where the dam water was comin in at .so in your case jack up the *** end of the vette -water seaks level,,then try to pull some carpet so you can get at the floor pan to ''sop it up'' as it runs out of the carpet,, by the way i never had a musty mold smell either, cuz i always dryed it out,, just the cleanest carpet on the block! use gravity to force the water out of the carpet

 

You've got too much moisture to try a dessicant just yet. That's a last step. Get it back in the garage and open all the doors, roll down the windows, take off the tops. Put a couple small desk fans in there to circulate fresh air for a couple days. Once everything is dry to the touch, close it back up and use a dessicant like already mentioned.

FYI- DampRid is everywhere. Supermarkets, super-stores, hardware stores, etc. It's usually in the household cleaner section.

 

he doesnt have any electric where the car is, thats why i suggested the gravity method

 

Oops. Missed that last post! My bad.

Carl's on it, then.

 

How about a bunch of bags of rice to soak up the water? Bulk rice is cheap.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions!

As of last night after I tried to draw out as much water as I could by pressing towels into the floor for like an hour, it was no longer soggy like it had been, just very damp. I left the car in the storage unit with the tops off and the windows down. I'm going to check on it after work to see how much it's dried. If I don't think there's been too much progress I'm going to wait for a break in the rain and see if there's somewhere I can take it w/ electricity. I have an industrial heat gun here at work we use for shrink wrapping stuff. I could use it if I just had access to electricity.

How long can the carpet & padding remain damp before the mildew might start? The initial exposure was last Thursday night.

 

did you ever wash your floor mat in the laundry tub? when your done washing it do you leave it flat to dry,,or do you hang it on a line or something??? if you lay it flat it will take longer to dry because the water is laying flat in the carpet,,if you hang it you'll see the water falling out... thats what im trying to get at here,,, because i had a lake in the back of that cavilier.. if you can park the car with the *** end high the waters gonna run to the gas and brake pedal area..and if you can lift the carpet youll get it out.in two days that thing will be bone dry,,,i had to do this every time it rained until i found a small hole in a body seam where the factory didnt get enough sealer where the panels met,,and every one i met with a 1994 cavilier had the same problem..they were all buying weatherstripping with no idea where the water was coming in at!!!