# Packing and Crating > Packing Materials and Techniques >  Wrapping car for transport

## kchambers3116

I'm hoping for some advice. I have been tasked with "wrapping" (their words, not mine) a vehicle for transport on a flatbed truck. 

This vehicle is an SUV damaged during the events of 9-11 in NYC. Our goal is to mainly protect it from the elements during transport. I have been told that it won't be possible to cover the vehicle with a tarp, supposedly because the wind will tear right through it. 

The material we're thinking of using for this project is commercially available shrink-wrap. Possibly with some moving blankets underneath. 

Are there any other possibilities?


Kara Chambers
New York State Museum
Albany, NY

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## T. Ashley McGrew

I'm not certain what you are considering at this point. What is commonly discussed when someone says "shrink wrap" is actually "stretch wrap (Linnear Low Density Polyethylene)" which commonly comes in 20" wide rolls and is used in combination with packing blankets to wrap furniture. Increasingly it is also used (often in combination with plastic sheeting) to wrap wooden crates to add another layer of protection from the elements. I would say that it sounds like an ok idea. 
What you may be talking about is way less common in museum use but is pretty common in other commercial applications. It is ACTUAL heavy duty shrink wrap. It is used to cover some palletized materials. New vehicles and boats and such for transport. I think that this might be an excellent solution. Here is one source of that kind of material -

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/P-A...FQg1hwodp3kOTQ

and a picture. 
I have seen whole buildings sealed in the stuff and it seems way cool!

boat3_pxgg_se3u.jpg

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## kchambers3116

The plastic wrap that we have on hand is much thinner than 6 mil. It feels like your standard shrink wrap or saran wrap that you would buy in a grocery store. Only a MUCH larger roll. 









> I'm not certain what you are considering at this point. What is commonly discussed when someone says "shrink wrap" is actually "stretch wrap (Linnear Low Density Polyethylene)" which commonly comes in 20" wide rolls and is used in combination with packing blankets to wrap furniture. Increasingly it is also used (often in combination with plastic sheeting) to wrap wooden crates to add another layer of protection from the elements. I would say that it sounds like an ok idea. 
> What you may be talking about is way less common in museum use but is pretty common in other commercial applications. It is ACTUAL heavy duty shrink wrap. It is used to cover some palletized materials. New vehicles and boats and such for transport. I think that this might be an excellent solution. Here is one source of that kind of material -
> http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/P-A...FQg1hwodp3kOTQ
> 
> and a picture. 
> I have seen whole buildings sealed in the stuff and it seems way cool!
> boat3_pxgg_se3u.jpg

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## Jamie Hascall

The system that Ashley cited is exactly what came to my mind. The marine industry uses it extrensively for shipping and storage of boats. The thick plastic is heat sealed and shrunk to fit the boat/car tightly. The resulting cover is quite weather tight and has no loose edges to flap and tear. I think that covering the vehicle with blankets and shrinking plastic over it would be an excellent shipping solution.

Jamie Hascall
Chief Preparator
New Mexico DCA Exhibits
Santa Fe

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## sfixx

Plastic tarps will tear apart flapping in the wind as you've no doubt seen many times on the highway, but a good quality CANVAS tarp will not. The key is holding the tarp snug to the object with ratchet straps and bungies.

If the overall patina is important to save nothing will protect like an enclosed truck.

Best wishes,

Steve

Stephen Fixx
Paper Conservation Technician
Cleveland Museum of Art

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## T. Ashley McGrew

_Here are posts on the topic from the PACCIN listserve_


RE: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: "Turnbow, Bryan L." 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com> 
________________________________________
I would second that thought.
Once upon a time I used to install a similar product, Quick Draw Tarpaulin Systems. From experience I can tell you that they work great protecting products from the elements (even North Dakota conditions). Any flatbed trailer with this installed should fit the bill. I would check with local trucking firms to see if any have this setup.

http://www.quickdrawtarps.com/photos/

Bryan Turnbow
Preparator
State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 East Boulevard Avenue
________________________________________
Wed, December 14, 2011 7:10:15 AM
Re: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: David Thomas 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com> 

Ashley, 
I'm assuming that the car won't roll since it was damaged in 9/11.
The best option I can suggest would be to find a carrier that has a rolling tarp/conestoga trailer (see photo).



This way the car can be side loaded with a forklift or crane, chained down/strapped to the deck and then be protected from wind + elements.
Best,
David Thomas
ROCKWICK
Sculpture Services
rockwick.com
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RE: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: Bruce MacLeish 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com> 
_____________________________________
Ashley,
I am not sure that I have a better solution to transporting a car on a flatbed truck, but I have a few observations about shrink-wrapping. I live right down the street from Newport Shipyard, where the winter shrink-wrapping process is just being completed for dozens of boats hauled out (and some still in the water) for the winter. I have helped a friend with his boat for a few years, so I have learned a bit more about it than I would from a walk through the shipyard. The process itself is pretty simple: wrap the boat, and shrink the film; I should point out that the latter step involves a propane-fueled heat gun, which to my mind conjures up all sorts of risks. I have heard of one instance (not here) of burning various parts of a boat, presumably by a technician who had had little practice in the process. Exactly how the car companies do their wraps, I am not sure, but it looks like cling-film of some sort, or occasionally re-usable fitted car covers (see below) for the costlier.
I would also think that a wrap that covers most of the car would prevent one from reaching the steering wheel, brakes, and so on during the moving process. Yes, you can install a door, but the zippers involved could scratch a priceless paint job. On the boats, there is usually a framework erected above the decks, so there is space for a framed-in door, and headroom inside; not so practical on a car.
Without branching out into a boring encyclopedic discussion (what if…), I might suggest two options: First, procure a fitted fabric cover for the car. These are available from a number of automotive suppliers, and are made for the purpose. Second, if at all, scrap the idea of the open truck, and ship in an enclosed vehicle. There are pros who do this, and lots of collectors and racers who might lend an enclosed trailer if asked very nicely.
And here’s one more idea if you have the time: send this question to a publication such as Vintage Motorsport or Hemmings Sport and Exotic Car. OK, one more idea would be to get in touch with the staff at the Antique Auto Club of American Museum (http://www.aacamuseum.org/) and get suggestions from them. The advice you might obtain might well be a lot more helpful than mine. 
Cheers,
Bruce
A. Bruce MacLeish
Director of Collections
Newport Restoration Foundation
51 Touro Street
Newport, RI 02840
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Wed, December 14, 2011 6:41:31 AM
Re: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: Tom Keaney 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com> 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, an obvious alternative would be to find a carrier that offers an enclosed trailer designed to transport vehicles and not wrap it at all.

-TK
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Wed, December 14, 2011 6:33:42 AM 
RE: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: "Delfino Jansen, Nicole" 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com> 
________________________________________
My only question – was this vehicle cleaned, or does it have “historic dust” you want to preserve? I would assume if you are considering putting it on an open flatbed for transport, it’s been cleaned already, so packing blankets and shrink wrap probably won’t hurt the surface (depending on how damaged it is/how stable the surface is), but if there is dirt or there are loose parts, I would transport it well-secured in a covered car trailer.
-Nicole Delfino Jansen
..Or, you could go with a cozy like this:
car cozy.jpg
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Wed, December 14, 2011 6:23:02 AM
RE: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: Philip Brutz 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com> 
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It sounds like you and Jamie have it covered!

Philip Brutz
Mountmaker
Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 E. Blvd.
Cleveland OH 44106

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## T. Ashley McGrew

*More posts from the listserve*

Wed, December 14, 2011 9:43:16 AM 
RE: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck
From: "Taylor, Heidi" 
To: PACCIN ListServe <pacinlist@listserve.com>
 
We had a 80’ Pullman car delivered down I-75 from Alabama and it was “shrink wrapped”. Worked beautifully.

Heidi Taylor
Associate Registrar 
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
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Wed, December 14, 2011 9:43:16 AM 
Re: Prepping a vehicle for transit on a flatbed truck



From:T. Ashley McGrew <ashmcgrew@att.net>

To:PACCIN ListServe pacinlist@listserve.com

Thanks for the suggestion and Picture David! 

There has been a bunch of good input here. 
Unfortunately I don't know the details on this one (why on a flatbed etc...)
I would imagine that it could be simply for loading access since the vehicle presumably won't roll as suggested. 
I think a couple of comments are noteworthy. The first is that as suggested by a few folks and illustrated in your message - if you can avoid contacting surfaces that probably is in fact covered by historic dust that would seem desirable. It would seem that a windproof enclosure and securing the vehicle to frame members only would be the best bet.

A semi-related story - I was living in Brooklyn during 9/11 and working for NMAI. We had (have) an Exhibition space next to Battery Park just south of ground zero. Almost immediately after the attack we were faced with a concern that could effect the possible use of the building as a museum basically forever. It wasn't as you might at first suspect anything to do with the structure integrity of the building itself. The risk was actually in the nature of the dust in the air. Given what had happened - the dust itself was considered funerary in nature (contained human remains in fact). We were told that if dust actually got inside the building that there were several indigenous cultures that wouldn't ever be able to enter the building. Luckily it turned out that the staff on duty followed disaster protocols exactly and shut down the air handling system before the collapse of the towers at the first sign of smoke and there was no significant infiltration of material. 

Also Bruce’s comments as usual are illuminating. I sometimes forget that great care should be taken when discussing methods for general use. Like many preparators I have worked with a lot of technologies (was using a torch to assist in bending bar stock just last week for example) and we sometimes assume that readers have the same background. Basic rule of thumb in working with any new material or tool is to go slow. Test out the techniques on/with surplus materials that are well away from actual objects. I like shrink-wrapping actually though and I don't think it takes that much practice to get a feel for it. 
Another thing Bruce mentions has real merit. If you are not concerned with the loss of surface dust, the investment in having a custom cover made is that it is a reusable multi use purchase avoiding the onetime - labor intensive nature of wrapping the object. 
Anyway I will post a bunch of this on the forum and hopefully some of it will be useful to the original poster and maybe some other folks down the line. 
Best,

Ashley

P.S. thanks to the "first responder" for starting the conversation and the week off with a pun. A little bit of humor goes a long way!

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