Protecting Your Investment Part 1

A classic car becomes a classic for a reason.

It doesn’t have to be the first model ever made, but classic cars have proven to hold their value or even increase in value as time goes on. This fact has led many people to invest significantly into classic cars, often spending large sums of money to restore them back to their original glory as well as spend thousands more on accessories and other niceties that make these classic beauties shine. But what good is an investment if you do not properly protect it to maintain that pristine condition to which you have restored it? Unfortunately, however, many people forget that simply parking your classic car in an indoor garage does little more than keeping the dust away from it. Of course, this is helpful, but neglecting your classic car can cause severe damage over time; we all would rather avoid it.

In this article, we will talk about several ways of protecting your investment through maintenance, car protection covers, paint protection, car storage, and items that help you protect your asset over time, especially if you want to both drive it from time to time or if you want to store it for long periods for whatever reason. 

There are many things to consider to keep them looking and running their best when it comes to classic cars. In addition to general car maintenance, classic car owners need to be especially careful with the upkeep of their vehicles.

One important thing to keep in mind is that classic cars often require different types of care than modern cars. For example, many classic cars need to be regularly tuned up and have their fluids changed, while most modern cars only require an oil change every 5,000-10,000 miles.

The technology used in older cars is entirely different from what is expected in modern vehicles. This is why it is imperative that you find a specialist in classic car maintenance if you cannot do the maintenance yourself. Many garages that only handle modern cars will simply lack some vital knowledge required to maintain classic cars. Another factor to keep in mind is that classic cars could benefit from different fuel types as most modern cars would. For example, ethanol is a good fuel for most modern car engines, but ethanol can cause problems in classic cars made with carburetors. Blends with ethanol will corrode a carburetor and make it useless. A classic car's engine relies on gasoline to flow through the engine and burn rapidly with air (a controlled explosion). This traditional type of combustion is called a high fire rate because it requires a lot of concentrated energy to replace the warmer burning gases left over from the first cycle of the explosion.

The Importance of the Proper Car Storage

One of the most important things you can do to protect your classic car is to store it in a place where it will be safe from the natural elements. Ensuring that classic cars are kept away from the details such as rain, snow, and dust is an essential step in keeping these classic beauties in top condition and protecting them against corrosion.
Exposing your car to the sun, wind, rain, and snow can cause serious damage over time, so it's crucial to find a place where it can be sheltered from the weather. This may mean investing in a garage or a car storage unit or finding a place to park it indoors where it will be protected from the elements.
Another factor to classic car protection is the temperature. Unfortunately, extreme temperatures can also cause damage, so you'll want to find a cool place in the summer and a warm one in the winter. This may be more difficult to find, but it's worth the search in order to keep your classic car safe. When storing classic vehicles, it is extremely important to avoid sunlight which can fade paintwork, cause cracked windshields and age interior fabrics faster than they might naturally. It may surprise you what harmful conditions classic cars can be exposed to even when you assume they were safely stored inside. For example, a classic car could still be exposed to harmful UV rays through a window, which can fade classic car paintwork and cause cracks in the windshield.