My experience has been that cheap car covers fall apart.
-d
The cover will not fit your car. It will be a potato sack.
-d
I just spent $250 on a Noah for my 59 and that looks like a potato sack too. It remains to be seen how well it will hold up.
For that price, it should at least be fitted for the mirrors.
I bought one of those car covers that was supposed to be for a Superior hearse. I emailed the seller and asked what year it fit, and he said, "You tell me what year, I send you correct car cover."
The cover was ten feet too short, and the seller didnt answer my email.
I think what these people do is go get makes, models and years and just post them at random. They might take a rough guess at what will fit on which car, but basically they just have a collection of potato sacks with a numbered size on each one. Tony noticed that they were rounded at the front and the back, like boat covers, but without the loops to run the ropes through.
The cover did fit over my Mercury econobox, so I used it there, but it only lasted a few months before it started coming apart.
-denise
>>For that price, it should at least be fitted for the mirrors.<<
Separate mirror socks are offered (free from the outfit I bought the cover from), but I turned them down. I dont think theyd make that much difference, since the mirrors are under the cover anyway and if humid air gets into those socks it may not dissipate as well.
The cover I bought has the right dimensions and built-in peaks for the fins. It also has strong elastic hems fore and aft and a couple reinforced grommets for attaching the cable/lock under the car. So its functional, just doesnt look like a finely tailored "car suit," which is what I was expecting. Its probably easier to put on with some bagginess to it but...
Ill let you know how the Noah works out as time goes by. Its got a 5-year guarantee (I think) from Covercraft and I wont be using it too often, since the car is usually garaged. I used it one stormy night last week and when I pulled it off the next day, the car was bone dry except for the lower tires and hubs which arent covered.
Ill bet that hearse is great on camping trips! ;)
We have to drive a long way to find a campground around Tucson. The nearest place that I would like to camp would be in Oklahoma. Im told that there are some up on Mt. Lemmon, but theyre always taken, and you get attacked by bears a lot.
I did find that the hearse was handy for picnics, though.
http://www.americansoapbox.org/deadheat/meets/10162004/S3010001.jpg Tony and I were going to get a cover for the boat, after having left it outside two years and finding that the sun burned a hole in the transom boot, but I suggested that we invest in a canopy instead. We have a place where we can anchor it to the house for sturdiness, and we can sink the poles in concrete. My rationale is that after a long Sunday at the lake, and a 2-3 hour drive home from the nearest lake, were not going to feel like putting a cover on the boat, nor are we going to get around to it after going back to work and sinking into the weekly grind the next day. How much easier would it be to park it under a canopy?
-denise
Im assuming this is something like a speedboat. Easiest approach to a canopy would be a "pup tent" design -- 4 eye-bolts at ground level (a pair on each side of the boat) and 2 poles topped with eye-bolts (one fore, one aft -- one of these poles should be removable so you can get the boat in/out).
If you have high winds to worry about or there is no affordable canopy material that will withstand the kind of sun you get, then you may want to consider a thicker gauge, sun resistent, corrugated fibreglass design or even conventional carpentry. The nice thing about these alternatives is that you wont have to do anything but move the boat in and out.
Bear attacks? Please dont get me started. Theres a federal law that says unless Ive got a bear tag, I have to wait until an attacking bear is within 30 feet before I can kill him. This is essentially a death sentence for me, no matter what Im packing. I wish they issued tags for people who feed bears. Id start hunting them.
Bottom line on cheapo covers -- if youre only using it short term or once in a blue moon and if you dont care what it looks like, go ahead. Otherwise, decent quality covers will run you anywhere from $225 to about $500 new, cheaper if bought used from a private party.
My Experience with one of the expensive ones that I have for my Eldorado is that the mirror pockets dont even go over the mirrors properly!
The cover is definately long enough. Its deep enough too. In fact it covers the whole car quite well, but the mirror pockets are for a more modern mirror placement where theyre moved forward more on the doors and not back more like they are on my Eldorado, hence the pockets dont cover anything. They just flap!
All in all, it doesnt bother me. I use the cover primarily on the car while stored inside to protect it from dust, debris, people from bumping into it and scratching it and other potential garage hazards.
The cover is good for outside use as well, but rarely have I done that except when the garage was painted.
Now for hood ornaments? Thats another story. No pocket for it and wish there was. I have a patch ironed on the outside of the cover where its worn through a little. I do try to put a piece of heavy soft foam around it before placing the cover on, but that only works to a point ... pun intended too!
I would look into what use youre looking into before you spring for a cover. Are you using it outside? Is it for long periods of constant use or is it to be removed frequently? All those factors affect wear and durability of the cover.
Later!
Dave
I hadnt thought about corrugated fiberglass. That would be an excellent idea.
The biggest problem here is sunlight. It is very intense year round, and it destroys anything made out of rubber or plastic. We do get intense rain and wind storms sometimes, but theyre harder on canopies than they are on vehicles. ;)
Thirty feet is cutting it awfully close, for a bear attack. If he decides to charge at you, that gives you about one second. Maybe you could throw the bear some food, get it busy with that, and then shoot it. Then move your tent within thirty feet of it. If all else fails, just yell, "It was coming right at us!"
-d
Ah Densie,
Another South Park watcher.
"Respect my authoritiii", and, "Screw you guys, Im going home".
Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV
a friend gave me one a few years ago, which he bought at K-mart. I think it was around $60. Supposed to be for an RV. It has the mirror covers, cotton inner liner and seemingly a nylon exterior. Fits my 75 fleetwood like a glove. I liked it so much I bought another just like it for an 84 Olds 98, a relatively smaller car, which sat outside all the time. I sold it with the car for $50. The same size fit my friend and benefactors 55 sedan very well also. His car sat outside all the time, and he had it on the car for 5 years, and then sold the car (and kept the cover). It was still in good shape, despite the Georgia sun and humidity, and pine tree sap. Ive paid much more but have not been as pleased as I am with this relatively cheapo car cover. Ill buy another next time I think of it for a future application. doug
Doug, if you still know the brand name/manufacturer for that K-Mart cover, let me know. I want one as an extra. Years ago, I bought a very inexpensive new framing hammer at a discount store. Its survived a lot of punishment and I like it even more than my much more pricey Estwing. This kind of thing sometimes happens.
We have every one of them on DVD. ;)
-d
Fred - I will do that. As I was posting last night, I stopped to look for the empty box, which I know I saved. Its around here someplace. . .Doug
It says "Rally" and "Goldguard Car Cover" "XXL" No 9759. It has zipper doors for both front doors, mirror pockets, tie down straps, and a "convenient storage bag," which I see I forgot to give to the new owner. Fits cars up to 19.6 it says. Rally manufacturers, Miami, FL., by way of CHINA. I did not find one in Walmart - - seems to be a K-mart item. Trouble is finding a stocked K-mart these days. Doug
Thanks, Doug, Im on it! Ill let you know the outcome.
Thanks, Rhino, you are the man! AutoZone and Pep Boys are both on my route here in the SF east bay.
Best thing to feed a charging bear is an RPG and some VX gas. Did you see that online video of the Canadian guy demonstrating his "bear-proof suit"?
I have searched the net for a proper fitting cover. They are just too expensive if they fit a 1938. They are either an ill fitting sack that needs replacing every two years or are customs. Ouch! So I investigated fabrics to make one. Sunbrella is the stuff to buy says almost everyone. Comes in a bunch of colors and patterns. Spring isnt here yet so I guess the girlfriends sewing machine gets a workout soon until it arrives. If only the girlfriend would get the same workout instead of me....
I noticed over at the Walmart, my second home, that they have these contraptions that are more or less a quansit hut or tent type cover for your RV or air craft carrier. Have you considered something along these lines? Doug