Classic Car maintenance, storage and care advice

[j_jza80]

So, completely out of the blue this afternoon, my Dad has gone out and bought a pretty concourse 1984 R107 Mercedes 280SL.

 

This is the first classic he's owned, and the first concourse car I've ever had any hand in maintaining, so I'm looking for a bit of advice.

 

So first of all, it's going to live in a pretty spacious, well and recently built garage. I've put the idea of a carcoon out there, and he seems pretty convinced.

 

Is it worth getting a second set of cheap wheels to sit in on over winter?

 

Can anyone recommend a decent battery conditioner?

 

I assume it will want a very thorough clean, especially underneath, before winter storage?

 

The car comes with a hardtop, can anyone advise whether a ceiling mounted hard top winch is a good idea?

 

And can anyone recommend a decent Classic Mercedes-Benz forum?

 

Cheers.

[Jellybean]

CTEK Battery Charger

 

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?329433-Preparing-Your-Car-for-Winter-Storage-A-Few-Useful-Tips&highlight=storage

[Westcoaster]

Pictures please!

 

I can't help with the car, except to say that having seen my local paint guy carry out a long term restoration on a 380SL, the tin worm can really get a grip on them, so careful storage is a must.

 

Beautiful and classy cars - definitely a classic.

[j_jza80]

This one only has 30k miles, and has been kept in a garage it's whole life by the look of it. I'll get some pics sorted when he collects it.

 

They also had a low mileage Corrado VR6 Storm in there too that someone has just paid £18k for! it honestly looked like it was brand new. I have never seen a cleaner used car.

http://www.philipwelch.co.uk/used-cars/york-volkswagen-corrado-vr6-storm-28-607/

 

The long term owner had made a log book of every single journey they car has ever made... With details of what petrol station he went to etc. OCD.