I searched before i posted, couldn't find anything. I have a short block 350 i built 4 years ago. I put it on the stand ready to finish it and then moved, and had the typical life bullshit get in the way of finishing it. How long can a motor sit half built before having to take it apart again? it's been well wrapped and shows no signs of corrosion and isn't polluted with dust. I'm concerned with whats happened inside the bores, it has aluminum pistons. I'm worried the rings could be heavily gummed up and burn when i finally start it. Any advice much appreciated. Cheers all.
just put it together and run it. IF your rings get gummed up, it might burn a little oil for the first couple runs, but they usually seat.
I would squirt some WD40 into the cylinders and then use an oil pump primer to prelume the engine. Turn it a few turns by hand to see how much compression it seems to be making and fire it up. You should run it at various speeds to seat the rings for about 20 or 30 minutes, then do a compression check. If no signs of concern, button it up and go put a few miles on it to seat the rings proper. Check the compression again after it's well broken in. I pulled a old Suzuki out of a guys yard once that had sat outside with open intake and exhaust ports for years! It only had compression on one hole. This little dance brought it back to spec over a long weekend and I rode it another 30,000 miles before selling it off. It's amazing what a little oil can do for rusty valve seats and sticky rings.
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