Engine Storage Advice Needed

[Mark P.]

I had the 283 for my 1960 rebuilt 15 years ago and have still have not installed it. I have also not done the break-in. It has been on an engine stand covered in plastic with a blanket on top in an insulated garage with temps dropping as low as 45F with minimal humidity (in the SF Bay Area 13 years and Western Washington for 2 years). There is some minor surface rust around the end of the block where the bellhousing will mount but that is it. The engine builder used extra assembly lube because I told him it would be a while before I used it. I never thought it would be this long. Every year or so I have turned the crank a couple times.

I am now thinking I will spray engine fogging oil in the spark plug holes, intake and exhaust ports annually when I turn it over. I can then cover it with plastic and a moving blanket. Does this sound like a decent approach ?

Would it be better to add oil and then spin the oil pump with an oil primer tool at the 0, 90, 180 and 270 crank positions ? Would this approach also be good for a rebuilt 327 engine that I broke in 4 years ago and haven't run since ?

Please share any experience if you have also used an engine that was in storage for an extended period.

Thanks,

Mark

Mark

[Douglas L.]

Re: Engine Storage Advice Needed

Hey Mark,

Around 1995, I removed the original motor from my small block 67 to have it rebuilt. I replaced the original motor with another 327 and made modifications to the replacement motor. I left the original motor on an engine stand in the garage wrapped in plastic in my garage. The garage is like a separate unheated room of the house and the temp never gets below 45 degrees in winter and the humidity level is low. Following the rebuild on the original motor, I would turn over the motor by hand every once in a while. However, as time went by, I neglected to turn over the motor. Last year, I went to turn it over and it would not budge. The assembly lube used when the motor was rebuilt had solidified and looked like "dried lacquer". I tried "cutting" it in places where I could see it. Nothing would cut it except for lacquer thinner and even lacquer thinner did not do a good job. And then I thought about the places where I could not see the lube like the crank and rod bearings passage ways. I think my only safe option at this point is to disassemble the motor, clean all the parts, and then reassemble it. For your motor, as long as the assembly lube has been mixed with regular motor oil as was most likely done when you broke in the motor, you will probably be OK doing as you say by adding oil and spinning the oil pump from time to time.

[Mark F.]

Re: Engine Storage Advice Needed

I had the 283 for my 1960 rebuilt 15 years ago and have still have not installed it. I have also not done the break-in. It has been on an engine stand covered in plastic with a blanket on top in an insulated garage..........

Douglas,

OP said he had not done the break-in, so hopefully he won't experience the "concreting" of engine lube you did...

[Mark P.]

Re: Engine Storage Advice Needed

Thanks Mark and Douglas - I am glad I posted this since I did not know about assembly lube drying out. My engine still spins fine. I will add oil and prime the oil pump with my drill and spin the motor to TDC, 90, 180 and 270 and repeat every 6 months.

[Joseph W.]

Re: Engine Storage Advice Needed

My 69 427 was rebuilt 25+ years ago and I had no idea what the PO had done other than he told me he never started it.
I had several friends tell me to tear the engine apart and I had several tell me to just run it.
I sprayed Marvel Mystery oil into the plug holes, spun the oil pump with a drill tool ( which did not seem to pump oil to the top end till I rotated the crank. No idea why that happened).
I started it up and it ran fine other than a bad lifter.

[Mark P.]

Re: Engine Storage Advice Needed

Joseph - thanks for letting me know. There are a lot of opinions out there like you received. I have heard engine builders typically would like them run within 6-12 months. Lot's of different advice on how to store an engine. Mark