I'm getting ready to move my drum kit into the garage.

Should I be worried about what changes in temperature and humidity will do to the shells? 

The garage is in good shape, but it isn't heated or air conditioned.  I'll use a space heater to warm it up before I practice if the weather's cold but other than that, the space will be about the same temperature and humidity as the air outside.

My kit is a mid 60's Ludwig jazz kit.  I'm about to spend a few hundred dollars to have the bearing edges restored.  I'd hate to ruin the kit by keeping it in the garage.

Over the years I've been asked this same question by many people, not just drummers. I've left gear set up in garages many times for a party or a jam. In all casses everything was just fine if you throw a blanket over the drums, speakers, and sound or recording gear. The only time it was a problem was if a storm came by and the garage door was left open or the jam on the bottom of the door leaked and the floor got wet. Never was a problem when the temp got warm enough to stand it. If your body says it's cold....Then listen to it. I've left drums in a garage many times. Just used my head and watched the weather report. I've got some very expensive gear, hasn't warped yet. 

Although I have a dedicated 500 sq ft space specifically set up for my drums and is heated and air conditioned, I only heat or a/c the space if Im playing.  The studio is separate from the main house.  To maintain temp. is cost prohibitive for me.  That means that in the winter or summer (Im in TN. near Nashville) there are extreme variations in temperature.  For instance, in the winter it can vary from 15 degrees to say 60.  In the summer we have temps into the 100s with very high humidity.  Although the kits (wood kits) seem to be fine, I have to tune almost every time I go to play.  Especially in the winter.  Sometimes Ill turn the heat on and let the temp stabilize, tune, and then play.  Its not that big of a deal.  What IS a big deal I think is a rapid change in temp and humidity. The summer heat doesnt pose any problems.

Over time Ive learned to deal with it just fine-

You didn't say what kind of finish you have on your kit, but may I offer one caveat from personal experience:

I have a custom laquer finish on my DW kit, and it didn't come cheap (the wife can verify this, but I won't go there).

:-) 

One year, I brought it home from the Theater and kept it in the garage.  I kept the kit in the foam-lined road cases.  Big mistake - I discovered that the cold temps in my unheated garage resulted in cracks in the paint on two drums (and I had paid a bundle for the paint alone).  I had to send the shells to DW and have them repainted, and since then, I have learned a lesson the hard way, and left the kit at the Theater year-round, in order to protect it (the Theater is temp-controlled year-round, even though we aren't doing shows during the winter months).  This would probably not have happened if my drums had a "conventional" wrap, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. 

If your drums have a sprayed-on finish of any kind, cold temperatures could have a serious effect on it, and the results aren't pretty, trust me.

Hopefully, this won't happen to you, but if you do have a custom finish on your Ludwig kit, you should consider putting it in a temperature-controlled environment.

FWIW,
drumz1

He really means humidity below 70% and above 10%.

I mean how many drumsets are in garages?  Like millions.  If it is indeed a 60's set of ludwigs and they are really mint then I would get a beater kit to keep "out there".

Thanks again for the tips.  I'm starting to think I may move my electronic kit to the garage and maybe pick up a beater kit for the garage as well.

Once I'm practicing with a band again, my primary kit will be in a band space anyway.  Also, it freezes for for or five months out of the year here.  So I might as well set up my garage with a more permanent, year-round practice kit that I'm not so worried about.

Yeah, I hear you.  But here's my thing...

I've never been able to tune drums well at all, so I bought a tension watch to help me out.  When I tried to get the same tension at all the lugs on any drum, I found it was impossible.  Careful inspection revealed that the bearing edges were slightly off or the drums were slightly out of round, making it impossible to tune the drums properly until they're refurbished.

Then it occurred to me that I've always played used drums, so maybe that's why I can't tune well.

And maybe the reason the used drums are all slightly out of true is because they've been stored in garages with untreated air.

Maybe?

Yeah, wood has cells, just like our skin. Expansion and contraction is a way of life ... so temperature and humidity extremes as well as rapid changes can really be a problem. Most wood drum shells are sealed, but that's not going to help with the extreme climate conditions.

I agree. My drums have lived in unheated/uncooled garages, warehouses, trucks, and in the trunks of cars parked outside in Southern California and South Florida. I haven't had any problems

I moved my Gretsch Catalina Birch kit out to the garage and haven't had any problems.  But, I did build a small 8x12 room with a ceiling in the corner of the garage. Since my drum room shares a wall with the interior of the house, I think it helps with the temp. The room stays cooler than the rest of the garage in summer, and warmer in winter.  I added a window AC unit in one of the walls as well to cool it down for practicing when it's really hot.  I'm in GA and it gets really hot and humid in the summer.

BTW - It's convenient to have a room within your garage for some soundproofing, plus I can just lock the door to keep my stuff secure while the garage doors are open for the kids to play.