PROPER WAY TO STORE ENGINE

[tikitime]

I have a rebuilt 200 rebuilt alota money in it, anyway unable to finsh project for now gave daughter some more college money
anyway need to know the proper way to store enginenit was rebuilt and never installed its on a stand with oil just dont want to screw it up
almost 5 grand in it http://s1188.photobucket.com/albums/z40 ... tangcoupe/ any advise needed thanks

 

[oldgrezmonke]

How long do you think it might need to be stored ? The minimum I would do would be to close all openings - vacuum , fuel , coolant , crankcase vent fittings , even open bolt threads - to keep bugs [especially dirt daubers] and vermin out . You might want to relax all the rocker arms just enough to allow the valves to close . That would minimize the possibility of rust forming on the valve and seat faces and unloading the springs would prevent them taking a "set" and losing tension . If the storage is to be long term , it might be a good idea to wrap with plastic and tape as air tight as possible with a desiccant inside . I have also heard of filling the fuel system , especially the carburetor , with kerosene to slow the formation of varnish and internal oxidation .

 

[JackFish]

I have a bare 302 block that's been stored in a shed for quite a few years now.
All the surfaces that didn't have paint got coated with this stuff by Rust Check called Coat and Protect. The stuff is still on there and shows no signs of rusting, and it's in a very moist environment. I'm sure there are similar products at your local farm store.

 

[tikitime]

It hasent been started the carb is rebuilt cleaned just setting on the stand , may be up to 2 years its in the garage now covered
need to finish rest of ca anyways

 

[bubba22349]

As long as the carb has not had fuel in it it should stay good for quite awhile, if you can keep it dry from mosture

 

[woodbutcher]

I have had good results using zip close bags fror small pqarts up to carby size.For the engine use dessicant packs and a 55 gallon very heavy duty trash bag,and tape the open end with(what else)DUCT TAPE.
Good luck.Have fun.
Leo

 

[Frankenstang]

My replacement engine is in dry storage and when I asked about best methods I remember someone here suggesting filling the crank case and priming it with a drill occasionally...not a bad idea, but may not deter surface rust in the chambers/valves/exposed cyl walls, etc. For that i'd probably bag the carb and seal the exhaust an additional layer to cut them off from air circulation as best you can.

I just haven't gotten around to pulling the head and other parts to check conditon on mine yet. It was rebuilt a long time ago but never run AFAIK...I picked it up in Houston (very damp environment...Texas' New Orleans). Anyway, in the meantime I'm using the big heavy bag and desicate method suggested by oldgrezmonke and woodbutcher.

True story, I washed a camera battery on a trip last summer. It was in a little plastic storage case (non water tight) and ran through a front loader (so less water), but there was still water in the storage case, and I tapped several drops of water out of the ridiculously overpriced sony proprietary Li-ion battery pack itself...put it in the charger and it immediately triggered the 'charged' indicator. Put it in the camera and it would not work...thought, 'great it's shorted/toasted'...tapped it some more and threw it in a bag full of desicates and forgot about it. Couple months later I took it out, stuck it in the camera...worked fine. Ran down the little charge it had, then it recharged normally and have been using it ever since.
Leads me to believe those little desicate bags do alot more work than I ever gave them credit for

 

[rbohm]

8) for long term storage you want to "pickle" the engine. start by putting a few quarts of oil and a can or two of stp in the crankcase, and spin the oil pump with a drill for a few minutes while turning the crankshaft every so often to get lubrication through as much of the engine as possible. then you want to put some heavy oil, something like 75 weight gear oil, into the upper part of the cylinders and crank the engine over a couple of times by hand to lube the cylinders. do this a couple of times to make sure the cylinders get well lubricated. next unbolt the rocker arm shaft and leave it loose until you are ready to get then engine going again. get the engine as complete as possible on the stand, and then bag the engine with some heavy mil garbage bags. dont forget the dessicant in the bag to remove any moisture in the air. seal the bag up as much as possible.

 

[oldgrezmonke]

8) for long term storage you want to "pickle" the engine. then you want to put some heavy oil, something like 75 weight gear oil, into the upper part of the cylinders

I knew I was forgetting something .