Storing a crankshaft
 

What should I coat a crankshaft with to store it in my attic? Cosmoline?

standard wheel bearing grease or any grease on the main & rod journals is all thats needed, maybe a light coat on the rest of the casting to prevent surface rust/

& store it on end! do not lay flat unless supported at the mains as if it were in a block.

I've seen crankshafts painted, after being degreased.

I has some spray anti seize I used on one of my 409 cranks-worked great for many years of storage.

Kano Products Weatherproof and store the crank standing up.

Valco Cincinnati has a product called Gel Lube. It is a spray lubricant that sprays out kind of thin but after several seconds jells-up and gets quite sticky. It is in an aerosol can and not expensive. I coated an entire IAII with it and it stayed rust free for several years until we put it in service. Same with crankshafts. Check out their web site. Great company, great prices and they have a racer net program that is VERY inexpensive. I am talking Quality RTV for like 1.50 a tube.

I have it bolted to the flywheel and it is standing on end. I have a tub of standard wheel grease. Should I apply it with a small brush or something else?

Back when I was a kid my Dad would make me coat bare blocks and cranks with grease with my bare hands..... You can use a soft brush, a finger, ??? just be sure to cover all of the machined surfaces. The one little spot you miss is the one spot that will rust.

Man O man some things persist forever!
If it's a cast crank you do not have to store it standing up and doing so reduces the chance it will get knocked over and then you might have a issue!

Furniture polish sprays like lemon Pledge. Cranks which I have had bagged for several years cleaned up
like the day they were first polished. Plus it smells lemony fresh.

Start your 428 project yet???