MTFCA Forum

So recently I've been thinking about possible storage solutions for my t. I was hoping I would be able to find some sort of shed ( cheap) somewhere. I have not yet gone to Menards and or Home Depot or Lowe's or any of those stores yet been hoping to. I was wondering what type of sheds you all have for your model T's. I am interested in those of you who store your car with the top up and are able to drive it in and out of a garage door, or the like, without having to deflate the tires or somehow make the car shorter.
I am hoping for the following:
A "cheap" shed (under $2,000).
A shed that is sturdy.
A shed that is only as big as I need it to be I won't be needing to store a whole bunch of stuff in it only the car.
Does not have to be 100% insulated but needs to be leak proof.
Something that can stand alone and take some wind.
Something that is rather aesthetically pleasing.
Any ideas are more than welcome.
Metal or wood.
My car is a 1922 touring with a two-man top.
My car is roughly 85 in tall. Give or take an inch.

I have a car collector friend that makes good use of a re-purposed shipping container. He added a fan to keep it from turning into an oven in the summer. It seals well, doesn't leak, but is a plain rectangular shape.

Siding and a roof could be applied to a shipping container for better looks and some insulation. Around here, a good 20' container is about 2500.00.

I don't know how ambitious you are, but at that price point, I would check ads for a building someone wants to be rid of that you could move and/or reconstruct on your site.

This guy did this one 20x20 recently for $3000
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFb9MTvKm ... 9yICQzMDAw

Tbird wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:34 pm

This guy did this one 20x20 recently for $3000
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFb9MTvKm ... 9yICQzMDAw

Can you get a t with the top up in it?
Whats the clearance when the door up to the ground?

1925 Touring wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:05 pm

Tbird wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:34 pm

This guy did this one 20x20 recently for $3000
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFb9MTvKm ... 9yICQzMDAw

Can you get a t with the top up in it?
Whats the clearance when the door up to the ground?

The doors are not a roll up door but a swing out carriage style the way garage doors use to be. I’m sure you could make the door height a little taller. Some Ts door height is not a problem which is a plus.

Tbird wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:10 pm

1925 Touring wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:05 pm

Tbird wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:34 pm

This guy did this one 20x20 recently for $3000
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFb9MTvKm ... 9yICQzMDAw

Can you get a t with the top up in it?
Whats the clearance when the door up to the ground?

The doors are not a roll up door but a swing out carriage style the way garage doors use to be. I’m sure you could make the door height a little taller. Some Ts door height is not a problem which is a plus.

Is the door at least 85 inches?

Be very cautious of those tin sheds you get from Home Depot. If you do get one be sure it is well anchored down and has guy wires. My son had an experience with one in which he had a lathe and some other tools. A strong wind came along and blew it over and moved it about 25 feet. The lathe was severely damaged because it fell over too. Later replaced by a wood shed and so far it has stood for quite a few years.

The beauty of a shipping container is its portability. You can take it with you when you move. It must be well vented. I would specify a wooden floor. It is easy to attach a roof over it to have added protection and to provide an extra air gap for ventilation/cooling. We bought an as new one for general storage of equipment when our disabled son was living with us. We could buy one which had made just one trip from China.

Allan from down under.

Check out inflatable auto shelters online. They meet your size requirements and can be had for as little as $600.00.

1925 Touring wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:27 pm

Tbird wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:10 pm

1925 Touring wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:05 pm

Can you get a t with the top up in it?
Whats the clearance when the door up to the ground?

The doors are not a roll up door but a swing out carriage style the way garage doors use to be. I’m sure you could make the door height a little taller. Some Ts door height is not a problem which is a plus.

Is the door at least 85 inches?

I’m pretty sure you make the doors whatever size you want. It’s not a kit. The video just shows you how to build one yourself from materials from a home improvement store.

This should give you an idea of a minimum size. From the Ford Service Bulletins, Feb 1920.

My brother had a shipping container to park his rat rod and motorcycle.
Menards sells VersaTube kits in almost any size you need. They assemble quickly and easily at a reasonable price. My dad has one that is just big enough to park his F350 flatbed. He has a crushed rock floor. I assembled one a year ago that is 40' by 14' to hold my camper. The whole building with concrete pad cost less than $16k. I assembled the frame by myself and had family members help install the tin.

Allan wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:37 pm

The beauty of a shipping container is its portability. You can take it with you when you move. It must be well vented. I would specify a wooden floor. It is easy to attach a roof over it to have added protection and to provide an extra air gap for ventilation/cooling. We bought an as new one for general storage of equipment when our disabled son was living with us. We could buy one which had made just one trip from China.

Allan from down under.

I agree with Allan...if you use a shipping container, and you might be able to get one 20' deep (not sure their width) for under $2K even delivered possibly, but as he said VENTILATE VENTILATE VENTILATE! These are BAKE OVENS!! I would put in a row of bottom vents and top vents and also a couple of those "twirly gig" types you see on just about every house in Arizona!! They twirl with the slightest of breeze and will keep your car from literally being destroyed with the heat. I looked at a gorgeous '13 long ago that had its paint literally destroyed from being in a "regular storeage unit" for 3 years.

My 22 touring resides in a shipping container, dry and rodent free. It does get hot inside in any sun, I need to put some vents in it. It's really tight on the sides too, I can't imagine how someone would get into that truck posted above if it was in a container.
2k is a really small budget for a shed, a concrete slab would cost more in materials alone! I bet a 20' container would cost more than that.

Whatever you do, be sure that it's anchored well enough to withstand the highest wind that is likely to occur in your area. Here in SW Florida 120mph would be a minimum. If you have antique vehicle insurance, be sure to check with your insurance carrier to be sure that they approve of your storage facility. Hagerty requires a conventionally-constructed garage or pole building. I'm thinking of a metal building, but my T will continue to live in my attached, concrete block garage.
I flew for many years, and a motto among aircraft owners was "Don't put your $50,000 airplane in a $500 hanger." The numbers have changed since the '70s, but the advice is still good.

If insulation isn't a priority for you, living in Illinois, I hope you plan on DRAINING the RADIATOR every WINTER.

YOu do not have to drain a radiator up here in the north. Fill it with Prestone in the right ratio and it is good to -40 degrees. Helps to prevent rust as well. It only works well if you heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Does nothing for humidity. If your county allows it, a portable shed is good, but remember that the cover is only good 10-15 years.

The Youtube video threw up so many flags. Dirt floor, not ancored, run off from roof flooding basement, spacing from house & property line,
ventalation & permitting? Shipping containers are OK for T's but not for cars with long doors. They can be painted to match, add a window or
two & they blend in pretty well. Just installed one @ the neighbors for storage that freed up space for two cars with room to work on them
in his garage. He built a floating man opening ( a attached one would be a zoning violation ) Painted the roof white to reflect the sun &
installed a solar powered exhaust fan to circulate air. I have a older inclosed trailer I keep a T in as I don't have to have a permit for a
licensed trailer & it was the same price as the last small ( T sized building I built ) where I live a free standing building that is not for
equestrian use can't be over 120 square feet with out a permit and a T will fit pretty well in 119 square feet. If all you need is lighting a
small (20-50 watt) solar panel, charge controler, battery & 12vdc lighting will let you use it @ night. With a little enginuity you can keep your
car battery maintained also. My brother has one of the inflatable ones that is a EPA aprooved paint booth. He has a standby generator because
a power outage will destroy a fresh paint job. They have to be tied down or they will blow away in a stiff breeze if empty.
Shipping containers here are $3,000 + for 20' or 40' A real nice one ( not bent up ) can be upwards of $5,000 delivered. I have seen one that
was 10 shipping containers with the sides cut out & welded together to make a 40' x 80' building that housed a rather large car collection.
Craig.

I’m with Tim Wren et al on this one. A friend used an unvented shipping container to store his wood cab TT truck in south central Texas. On our 110* days it has to be 150* inside that steel box. Anyway the wood spokes and cab became ultra brittle and the paint on the fenders/hood curled up.

Had a vinyl shed in my yard for a couple of weeks until a strong storm came by. It was great at first. My good friend recently got the same type and anchored the ropes in concrete, with the same results. I wouldn't use it at all.
John

Sprayed foam insulation works very well inside a shipping container. You still need ventilation.

My T pickup and some other stuff lives in a 24 foot furniture truck body with roll up door.Had minor damage to the front where someone hit a overhang,1400 bucks delivered. Took me about 3 hours to repair the damage. Not the prettiest thing in town because it has a antique flea market business name and number on the sides of it, but for less than 1500 bucks my T stays dry and the body has the z track on the walls which makes shelving easy and the wood floor is nice.

Your solution may depend on local zoning regulations. A garage/shed may require a concrete floor - also a good Idea to protect from rodents
Containers are cheap buy delivery can cost https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... containers+ --
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Cooling the container options --
Then a bigger trailer & solar panels (government rebate - workshop too! ---
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A good used trailer can also be a good solution - haul option https://www.marvstrailers.com/2000-cont ... -AdGp.html

Thank you all for the ideas!
There are certainly a lot of options for storage.

I would like to compare prices on different types of storage.
I was interested in the more "building like" structure and that youtube video gave me some building ideas. Iike the idea of 2 regular type doors, nstead of a garage door that is literally 2 inches shorter than my car! 83 inch opening on standard garage door and 85 inch car!