Best way to store a used short block?
 

I have an engine that I was building but the project is going slower than I expected due to a recent purchase. I’ve pulled the heads, oil pan & timing cover on the stand, what should I use for a coating to keep rust off the cylinder walls, crank, etc? Currently it’s covered with a custom garbage bag in my garage but figure I should spray it with something to keep any potential corrosion out.

Thick grease like wheel bearing applied heavy on the cylinders & any exposed journals on the crank, can pull the caps to put some grease on there too. A thinner coat on any other internal surfaces you want protected. stored in a bag and inside a garage it should be fine for many years if not decades.

This stuff is excellent for what you describe. It expands when sprayed and leaves a nice film on whatever it touches.I have had parts coated in storage for several years. No rust. I bag the parts after it sets up, not air tight. The listed price on the web site is a crazy list. Shop around.

https://valco-cp.com/products/aeroso...fUUGTmQ2S_cOfe

LPS 3 we use on fresh machined parts at the shop.
Spray can and takes effort to remove.

https://www.amazon.com/Corrosion-Pro...71580015&psc=1

Fluid Film, comes in aerosol, and can also be purchased in gallons if you care to brush it on. or spray with a spray gun. It's the same formula used to undercoat cars in the rust belt to stave off the salt, and salt spray on undercarriages. it will also penetrate into cracks and crevices. It's wool wax, not grease or oil based.

Years ago I also used wire rope and cable protector on bare crankshafts etc. I have cranks that were sprayed in the mid 80s still protected with it.

Bagging something in plastic is a 2 edged sword, it can keep out moisture, but it can also hold in moisture. I cover things to keep dust and dirt from accumulating, but air can still circulate around the item.

Iron gets cold and when subject to warming up sweats and draws moisture, same as the mirror in the bathroom does. I tried sealing metal parts with plastic bags and caused more damage than I did good. Ideally you have a temperature controlled environment to keep the iron from getting cold, but few of us can afford to heat our garages in the north 24/7.

There’s no need to lube anything other than a film of oil.

Especially if grease is used on the cylinder walls that’s not a good idea as gets into the ring grooves.
You will not get it out and it will burn and hang up the rings from spinning when you do fire the motor back up and the motor will smoke badly while the grease is burning.

Get a contractor’s big garbage bag.

Pick the whole engine up with the engine stand by its front with your crane and then slip the stand off and unbolt the arm from the motor.

Drop the motor into the bag assembly on the floor ass end first.

Next have someone help you to tie the bag closed as you use a vacuum to suck out all of the air.


Done deal!

Great ideas folks, appreciate it!

Just want to put this out, wheel bearing grease is a huge "don't" for long term storage. I bought a truck load full of blocks that had been stored for several years with grease applied to the cylinders. More than half the blocks were scrapped due to excessive pitting. Another gentleman on the East Coast ran into the same issue.

To answer the OP, we have had success with using WD-40 liberally on everything and keeping it covered with a plastic bag.

I have a nice standard bore PWH block waiting eagerly for a future stroker build sitting in my sister's bedroom since she moved away years ago. I haven't done nothing to it and it has no rust yet (outside is painted). But also, the room is air conditioned, so that helps, haha. As I start piecing together parts over the next 7-8 years to prepare for the build, I'll probably just oil fog them.

Its Fluid Film for the win. This is what it is made for.
I have had bad luck with light oil. But I live 3/4 mile from the ocean.
The crank I was going to use, Eagle cast stroker crank was stored in my block with caps on. So I sprayed the rod journals with WD-40. I had to have that crank polished as it rusted.
As I said I live close to the beach. WD-40 might be perfectly fine inland in a dry climate without the salt air I have.
At night when I get home from work you can smell the beach and hear the waves crashing. The houses only a 1/4 mile closer to the ocean have a much harder time with rust, its that big a difference.
I really like Fluid Film. Use it for all sorts of stuff. I work in a sawmill right next to a dock so things on the outside of the building rust badly so it goes on 1" all thread take up adjusters for tail drum bearings on belt systems. And it stays there for a long time, 6 months later its still there protecting the threads. Its safe too, lanolin based so its natural and wont harm a thing.
Its a lubricant and penatrate, sticky too. Heck I use it in my air tools.

I was wondering if I could use Fluid Film since it’s a wax based product but if there’s no worries I’ll use it since up here in the North East it’s on everyone’s work bench. I actually use the Krown version & have a case sitting next to the motor

Go read up on the usage that WD-40 was developed for.

Yes, WD40 is what it was made for. The military needed something to stop stored munitions from rusting. It took the company at the time 40 tries to come up with a successful formula, thus the name WD40

He said he is going to build the engine... it wont be ran after storage is what I gathered from the initial post, so none of that applies here.


As for wheel bearing or other heavy grease, it may not be ideal and there are better products, I was just saying what I have used with good results... never had any pitting on cylinder walls or other parts when stored for a very long time... in the upper midwest subject to big temp swings and condensation.

I recently bought about 15 400/455 blocks from a member on here that were stored in an outdoor unheated shed for decades with heavy black grease on them everywhere, still have a couple of them in the same state and sold the rest, most of which were to friends or others locally, none of them were scrapped or had any signs of pitting in the cylinder walls that werent there before being greased up... not sure why it would do what was mentioned above, ive pulled cars out of corn fields that sat for 20+ years and the wheel bearings & axles look like new under the wheel bearing grease. :confused:

Really now. I guess you missed where he says he has the engine on the stand, and I was just commenting in general on things I have seen people do.

Is that ok or do I need your approval to post such comments?

I would coat it with synthetic motor oil. even put some in a spray bottle and spray it if you can. cover it and leave it in the garage . should work

Really now... the title was how to store a used block. Maybe I misunderstood what he meant by a used block engine hes building that he removed the heads, oil pan & timing cover from... on a stand. Sounded like it was in disassembly stages & not going to be ran before completing the machine work & build, didnt sound like it was new & assembled and going to be ran, but if its being built and pistons/rings installed then yes grease isnt an option.

Yes its ok, wasnt saying anything about needing approval to post.. such comments, just mentioning grease isnt an issue if the engine is being stored before final assembly.

what about cosmoline?

Oh boy!
Have you ever spent the time needed to remove Cosmoline?

I friend of mines Dad use to be into old Dodge military power wagons and the replacement government parts he would buy for those where covered with that stuff.

He at times had us help him remove that stuff and we soon developed new curse words.

I stored several of my 409 parts for decades with spray antiseize in them did good and came off easily.