I have a couple of V8s which I will be storing in a heated garage for the next couple of years while the cars themselves are fixed up. What are the best practices in preparing an engine for long storage (so as to ward off the ac***ulation of rust, etc.)? Thanks for any help.
I've had pretty good luck leaving them sit 5-6 years. First thing is to use lots of Marvel Mystery Oil. If the motor is still running I take the inlet side of the fuel pump and using a rubber hose drop it in a 5 Gal gas can with 3 Gal of Fuel and a Quart of Marvel. Fire the motor and run it long enough to get it good and warm. Then I bring the RPM's up to 1200 or so and start squirting the Marvel right into the Carb. Once the motor is making a little smoke out the exhaust I bring it up to around 1500 and pour more Marvel in till it finally fouls out and dies. Next is remove the Carb and dump all the remaining Gas out but don't rinse it out. I put a piece of cardboard over the Carb studs without the ****erfly holes and bolt the Carb back on. Then cover and seal all other openings including exhaust inlets. If it's a overhead motor I remove all pushrods. Make sure the motor is not sitting direct on the floor, use plywood or a pallet but get it off the floor. Don't cover the motor with Plastic. You'll be fine. The Wizzard
The floor is concrete, but they will be on top of something (aspenite or a tarp, etc.). I bought an engine from a local who had wrapped the entire engine (sans carburetor/headers) in saran wrap and had the engine sit for a couple of years before I bought it. You suggest wrapping it a bad idea? I suppose it could hold moisture inside just as well if it is wrapped. The engines also aren't running at the moment. Also, how should I cover the exhaust ports? I've seen photos of Keith Black using duct-tape across the cylinder head to cover the exhaust ports. Thanks for the tips!
Here's what I'd recommend for external protection. LPS3 http://www.lpslabs.com/product_pg/corrosion_pg/LPS3.html A lot of folks are familiar with LPS2, a WD40-type general penetrant/lubricant. You know: Good for coughs and colds and sore ***holes and makes childbirth a pleasure! LPS3 is a whole 'nother critter. It's made specifically for long term storage in less-than-ideal conditions. Dries to a waxy film that does a helluva job. Was turned on to this by an old school motor guru. He dropped a freshly machined crankshaft and screwed it up. As a test they sprayed it with LPS3 and tossed it out the back door. Everyone that attended the nightly bench racing/beer drinkin' sessions was told to use it as a target when ... uh, getting rid of processed beer, if you catch my drift. Anyway, after a YEAR of this treatment, they steamed the crank clean and the all surfaces were cherry! I've used this myself on stored motorcycles and parts, worked great for two or three years, will probably last a lot longer. (edit) P.S. Don't think I'd do the plastic wrap. Temperature differentials can cause moisture to form inside.
Basically, here's what you need to worry about, depending on the length of storage: 1) Getting the cylinder walls coated with some sort of preservative...oil, Marvel, etc. 2) Relaxing the tension on the valve springs 3) Making sure that critters & moisture do not get into the engine 4) Making sure that any gas in the carb does not turn to varnish There are a variety of ways to accomplish all this, depending on whether the engine is running or not. Pist-n-Broke covered most of it. Since your engines are not running, I would pull the spark plugs & squirt 3-4 tables****s worth of motor oil (or whatever) into each cylinder, rotate the engine through a couple of revolutions, & repeat, then replace the plugs. Better too much oil than not enough. Removing the pushrods has three benefits: it protects the valvesprings, tends to keep from hanging a valve open on restart, and keeps critters & condensation from entering a cylinder through the intake manifold. Cover any holes with duct tape, cardboard, etc. to stop critters. I would not cover the engine or wrap it unless you can place some moisture absorbent into the wrapped area & change it as needed, especially if the garage is unheated...condensation is as harmful as anything. Ideally, you would replace the pushrods (just kinda rough-set the lash if it's adjustable), squirt more oil into each cylinder, & rotate the engine a few turns every six months or so, but it's a pain in the rear...but it does keep valves from sticking, springs from losing tension, and cyl. walls from rusting.
I've always taken the LTS motors and just "pickled 'em", meaning fill them completely with oil. Waste oil is fine, works just as well, and cheaper. whole point is to stop rust and easy to fix, just drain it when you're ready to use it. I topped off the cylinders and all, right to the top of the manifold.
We pulled a 40 Ford Deluxe Tudor from the woods behind a guy's house years ago. His Gramps had filled the engine with oil through the carburetor until it overflowed where he parked it more than 10 years earlier. We drained off the excess, cranked it over a time or three by hand, poured a little gas in the carb and it ran. Smoked up the entire building in the blink of an eye but it ran. With a little more work we had it running and idling very nicely and drove it within a week or so.
I put the oil from changes into the stored motors. Fillem up through the carb and the oil fill ports. When it wont take anymore they will last for years. I've drained some out of the bottom on occasion to check for water and monitor that. Fill the water jacket and everything. They hold ALOT so be ready when you get ready to start working on them.
I have untill recently lived in the desert all my life, up till now all I have had to do is to keep them out of the rain. Little rock is going to be a learning curve for me....
Wow. Great info on this post. I'll be moving my never run Iron Duke into the ba*****t soon. With a dehumidifier nearby, will I still need to worry about corrosion until next spring?
Do you mean in terms of bringing it to life now, after some years of sitting? It depends on what engine it is. If it's, say, a late model roller-cammed 5.0 or 350, I would pull the distributor, get a preluber from Summit/etc. and start oiling it....spin the crank through two complete revolutions 1/4 rev. at a time...running the preluber in between each 1/4 turn & monitoring the oil pressure with a gauge plumbed into a oil gallery...plugs out, of course...and pull the rocker covers to insure oil is getting to the top. Return the crank to TDC; install a known goon distributor & carburetor, & let it rip. If it's a flat tappet cam...myself, I'd pull the intake manifold if it's sat more than a year, & verify that the cam still has break-in lube on the cam lobes. Prelube as above, use Brad Penn or Joe Gibbs break-in 30W, with EOS or some sort of ZDDP additive, and go for it. If it was broken in at the factory/rebuilders' already, then use the 1st procedure.
Great info thanks. But what i was trying to say, was i have a sbc crate with vortech heads, that i've had for 6-8 months, and now its going to sit in my non-heated garage over the winter.. Anything i should do to preserve it?
From long & painful experience, I would go through the whole nine yards...A), chit happens and 6-8 months has a way of turning into much longer; B) critters & condensation will still be there. But at least put some oil in the cylinders & cover things up... FlatheadPete, doesn't sound like condensation will be an issue, or critters. I'd put the oil in the cylinders, rotate it, & call it good, unless you think it will sit for a while...
Here's what we do to boats in the cold North East....some of which stay in/near the water, so it works extremely well. Go to your local marina/boat supply store and buy some Sta-Bil, a spray bomb of Mercury Marine anti-corrsion spray and some marine fogging oil (Pennzoil, etc). Put 2X the recommended amount of Sta-Bil in the gas tank and top the tank off with fresh fuel. Filling the tank keeps air out of the tank and prevents/minimizes condensation formation. The fogging oil comes in spray bombs and by the quart or gallon. Warm up the motor and change the motor oil and filter. ALWAYS store the motor with fresh oil in it. Used oil has water, acid residues and combustion by-products that can cause corrosion and/or etch the bearing/journal surfaces. Pull the air cleaner and start the motor. Be sure to run the secondaries and any multiple carbs to get the Sta-Bil into them as well. Bring the motor off idle (2000-2500 RPM or so) and spray or slowly pour the fogging oil down the carb. When its smoking to the point where you can barely see keep pouring the oil down the carb and give the throttle a few good blips. The warm oil sitting in the intake runners will be distributed more evenly this way. Bring the idle down to 1000-1200 (still spraying/pouring) and then let the motor idle and try to kill it with the oil. If it'll still run then (keep spraying/pouring) and slowly close the choke to stall the motor. The intake/exhaust runners, valves and interior combustion surfaces now have a protective coating on them. Let the motor cool off. Spray **everything** on the outside with the marine anti-corrosion spray. For extra protection bury it all again in LPS-3. Cooling systems/p***ages are plugged off then filled with water/antifreeze mix. (the pink RV stuff is safe and will do the job well for storage). The motor will store safe for an easy 2-3 years of inside storage. If your going longer than a winter slumber then backing off the valves is a good idea as well as pulling the plugs annually and giving the motor a spin with some fresh oil down each cylinder. -Bigchief.
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