Building an engine with some storage questions

[KyleSeal]

I was making a mountain of Chevy 350 parts in my house for a while now and decided to go ahead and use them and build my motor, or atleast the bottom end. Well now the bottom end is done (need some cylinder heads) and have the motor bagged, my question is, is it okay to store this motor with just the bottom end done for a little while I look for heads? I used thick assembly lube from CRC and Lunati, will this still be okay in a few weeks for start up or even a month?

[B. W.]

Yes, it will be fine. I've built motors & stored them for extended periods, just keep it clean & dry. (keep the cylinders oiled)

[coreyjhen]

If you used good assembly lube and lubed the cylinders well, you should be able to store it almost indefinitely. Put a few desiccant bags in the bag and suck out as much air as you can with a vacuum cleaner before you seal it up.

[demian5]

I had a motor built for a friend for his 64 impala ss by a reputable machine shop.

11 years later I bought the impala with the rebuilt motor still on the engine stand (wrapped in a bag).

I pulled the pan just to make sure it looked ok to run, it looked like the day it was put together.

11 years after rebuild, put it in, runs *****en to this day. However, I think I have a head gasket that is marginal so my recommendation is to install a quality set of head gaskets.

[KyleSeal]

I have the cylinder walls coated in an engine oil, normal 10w-30, and I saturated the pistons in it (with rings on) before install. I figured it would be fine but wanted to double check.

[demian5]

Originally Posted by KyleSeal

I have the cylinder walls coated in an engine oil, normal 10w-30, and I saturated the pistons in it (with rings on) before install. I figured it would be fine but wanted to double check.

Fogging oil works wonders. Look into it.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by demian5

Fogging oil works wonders. Look into it.

That's what I did on advice. I ran some stabilizer through it, shot the carb with fogging oil multiple times start/stop. Pulled the plugs and shot the cylinders, about 3 seconds each I believe per instructions.

B.W. mentioned keeping it dry. All the hoses are disconnected. Anything else recommended? Perhaps another shot of oil in the cylinders every 6 months or so?

[coreyjhen]

You could put dessicant spark plugs in it to keep the cylinders really dry. They're expensive, like $8-10 each, but that's what aircraft mechanics do when they are storing an engine long-term. Plug-Dri is one brand.

[davepl]

I would soak a rag in transmission oil and wipe down every machined surface. WD40, fogging, all of that helps, but a consistent coat of oil on the walls and other surfaces is a good idea.