How-to Cover Your Modified or Vintage Ford F-150 Over the Winter?

It doesn’t matter if it’s your purpose-built, off-roading Ford F-150, or a vintage F-100, storing our beloved ride is a necessity for many of us in different parts of the country. Especially as rainy, and maybe even snowy months are around the corner.

Just like there isn’t a better feeling than uncovering your baby after a long winter in storage, it’s also a great feeling to know that they’ll be protected and well covered during their vehicular hibernation. That means selecting the right car or truck cover.

While it may not rain or snow in your neck of the woods, you may still need to protect your Ford from the sun, sand, ocean breeze or other harmful elements. Such elements will dictate what kind of cover you need to get. As with most things in life, just because it fits, it doesn’t mean it’s the right fit.

Protecting Against the Elements

The first step in choosing the right cover is knowing what exactly you need to protect your car or truck from. Hail, sun, uv rays, snow, etc? These are all consequences of choosing to store your car indoors or outdoors. Keep in mind that condensation is a big problem for both indoor and outdoor storage methods.

Indoor covers will protect from dust, and other much less-harmful factors, but outdoor covers must protect from a heck of a lot more, including bird droppings, strong winds, tree sap, etc. Ultimately, both types need to allow the car to”breath” to avoid mold buildup. For obvious reasons, outdoor covers tend to cost more.

Standard or Custom Cover?

A long time ago custom car covers were quite common, but as manufacturing techniques and technology have moved forward, even the most basic car covers offer an incredibly good fit. Then again, if you’re vehicle’s dimensions are modified, a custom car cover may be the best option.

Brand

Remember the saying: “You get what you pay for?” It certainly applies when buying a truck cover. While I’m not one for over-spending, it would be a terrible idea to protect your priced possession with something as thin and capable as a paper towel, no? Prices can range from as little as $50 dollars, to over a thousand bucks.

Check out this great video by AutoAnything, which shows us the different kinds of covers available by particular manufacturers. Believe it or not, a lot of science goes into designing a quality cover.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Photos via: [CalCarCover]