How can engines be protected from air moisture in storage?

[robroy]

Hi!

What are some good ways to protect engines from air moisture while they're stored? So both the insides and outsides (aluminum) stay nice and new looking?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[fordman]

they say when you store an eninge you should dump mmo down the carb to kill the enigne before you pull it out. the outside could be rubbed down with oil or something i guess.

[fireguywtc]

I think the best method for storage is going to be climate control. Most expensive unless you keep it in you living room or something, but keeps it from the temp extremes and moisture, ect. How long do you need to store it?

[robroy]

Hey thanks for the replies!

I'll need to store it for a maximum of six more months, and it's stored outdoors with two layers of tarps on it. Also, the carb is removed and a lift plate is installed in its place, and I put some tape over the holes in the lift plate to more or less seal in the intake.

It's painful but I can already see the end of the crankshaft (where the flywheel bolts on) is getting surface rust and the aluminum intake is looking more and more spotted.

What about those water-sucking sacks of beads that people put in camera boxes and things?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[fordman]

that tarp and some duct tape won't do it. smearm some grease on the crankshaft to keep the rust off of it. can get atleast a plastic can to put over the carb area and lift plate. tarps only help repel water they don't stop it from coming through the tarp. go out and make sure it will still turnover. and dump some marvel mystery oil down into it to make sure it hasn't already rusted up. the intake can be cleaned off later with steel wool or something if you have to. some sort of sealer should have been sprayed on it to keep the white spots from appearing on it.

[The Good Humor Man]

I wouldn't use the tarps, or anything else, I would just park it in a very sunny loaction, and not under a tree. The 69 I bought was stored under a tree out of the sun, and I had a mold issue with the whole truck.
I would be afraid that the moisture would get under the tarps, and trap it in, and do more harm than good.
I would just put in some sta-bil, and just leave it with the battery disconnected.
6 months is not a long time.
I have a friend who stores his motorcycle in his shed all winter, and he sprays it down with WD-40 when he puts it away, and in the spring wipes it all down, and it looks great every year.

[rjewkes]

I was under the impression aluminium Did not rust.

[fireguywtc]

Hey thanks for the replies!

I'll need to store it for a maximum of six more months, and it's stored outdoors with two layers of tarps on it. Also, the carb is removed and a lift plate is installed in its place, and I put some tape over the holes in the lift plate to more or less seal in the intake.

It's painful but I can already see the end of the crankshaft (where the flywheel bolts on) is getting surface rust and the aluminum intake is looking more and more spotted.

What about those water-sucking sacks of beads that people put in camera boxes and things?

Thanks!
-Robroy

Those are silica beads I believe. It would take a lot of them. You are going to have to buy a lot of cameras! :lol: Perhaps though you are going to have to do some beautification after storage and that's it.

[fordman]

aluminum oxidizes in the weather. it turns white. you will see lots of white spots show up on it after it sits in the weather for very long.

[papabug71]

Man robroy, thats a hard one. Get it inside out of the weather for sure. Out in the yard with tarps over it is just as bad as out in the weather.

If you dont have a indoor shop or room to keep it, maybe one of the little storage buildings?? Or even a barn??

Im not a big fan of having a engine in the house either, but I have to say, my 429 I had in the 78 dent sat in the extra bedroom at our old house for 4 months after I had it rebuilt. Just like yours, it was starting to show signs of "sitting around" out in the barn. Brought it inside & it was fine.

good luck!

[robroy]

that tarp and some duct tape won't do it. smearm some grease on the crankshaft to keep the rust off of it.

Good idea about the crankshaft, thanks!

can get atleast a plastic can to put over the carb area and lift plate.

That could help, although I don't think any water is actually getting around that area. (More info on this below.)

tarps only help repel water they don't stop it from coming through the tarp.

It seems like I might have chosen the wrong word when I said "tarp!" These tarps are made out of thick, silver plastic and seem totally impermeable.

go out and make sure it will still turnover. and dump some marvel mystery oil down into it to make sure it hasn't already rusted up. the intake can be cleaned off later with steel wool or something if you have to. some sort of sealer should have been sprayed on it to keep the white spots from appearing on it.

Yeah those seem like good suggestions, although I'm sure it'll still turn over since as far as I know no water has gotten directly on it. There's just some moisture in the air around it.

I wouldn't use the tarps, or anything else, I would just park it in a very sunny loaction, and not under a tree. The 69 I bought was stored under a tree out of the sun, and I had a mold issue with the whole truck.
I would be afraid that the moisture would get under the tarps, and trap it in, and do more harm than good.
I would just put in some sta-bil, and just leave it with the battery disconnected.
6 months is not a long time.
I have a friend who stores his motorcycle in his shed all winter, and he sprays it down with WD-40 when he puts it away, and in the spring wipes it all down, and it looks great every year.

Hi Good Humor Man! I'm actually talking about just storing an engine by itself, not an entire truck. So putting the engine out in the rain with no cover on it probably isn't the best idea!

I was under the impression aluminium Did not rust.

True; it does get white spots on it though when it sits around in moist air for long enough.

Those are silica beads I believe. It would take a lot of them. You are going to have to buy a lot of cameras! :lol: Perhaps though you are going to have to do some beautification after storage and that's it.

Yeah that would take some serious cameras! I was wondering if that stuff was available on a larger scale though, for something as large as an engine. Like sacks the size of softballs. Anyways, I hope you're right about just needing some minor beautification!

Man robroy, thats a hard one. Get it inside out of the weather for sure. Out in the yard with tarps over it is just as bad as out in the weather.

Hey 'Bug71, yeah I know it would be a great idea to get it inside, but I'm not sure how I'd go about doing that. It's not very mobile in the gravel and dirt in the yard. Just getting it moved fifteen feet to drop it in the truck is going to be a real challenge I think.

I think I've messed up on my usage of the word "tarp" here again; the tarps I'm using are totally impermeable, made out of thick, silver plastic.

If you dont have a indoor shop or room to keep it, maybe one of the little storage buildings?? Or even a barn??

I could probably erect some kind of tent top above it, which would keep the rain from falling directly on the tarps. Maybe that would help a lot actually.

Im not a big fan of having a engine in the house either, but I have to say, my 429 I had in the 78 dent sat in the extra bedroom at our old house for 4 months after I had it rebuilt. Just like yours, it was starting to show signs of "sitting around" out in the barn. Brought it inside & it was fine.

Yeah I'm sure that's a good way to do it! And I would love to store it indoors, if there were only a good way of moving it around. Working in a gravel/dirt yard makes things pretty tough compared to cement or pavement.



There she is! She's suspended up off the ground by nature of being on that pallet, and the pallet is resting on the legs of that engine hoist. Then I taped a plastic garbage bag around the carb plate to try to seal off the holes. Then on top of that went one of those plastic, silver tarps. And then another larger tarp is covering the whole deal, including the engine hoist.

Is this the kind of tarp ya'll are talking about when you say that it's no better than having it left out in the rain?

As far as I know, no water is directly getting under those tarps. They seem waterproof. It's just that there's a lot of moisture in the air around there.

Or am I wrong about this?

Thanks very much for all the excellent replies!
-Robroy

good luck! [/quote]

[papabug71]

Well, its not that you dont have it covered, its all the moisture in the air. My 429 was covered in an engine bag & I had a tarp over it as well. I didnt have the intake on it & the freshly "cleaned up" heads were starting to flash rust from moisture. I had it oiled down to no end & it still did it.

I see what your saying now about the gravel. Thats rough!! Plywood & cardboard will be a must when working under the truck.

If you could get it inside would you? I know the hard part will be getting it from its current location to the door of the house, but once you get it inside, or if you need to move it at all, get yourself a big piece of old carpet. You could probably find some for free in the dumpster of your local carpet place.

Set it on the carpet & find a couple of guys to help you drag it. Its not fun, but it will be mobile, so to speak.

Thats how I got my 429 in the extra bedroom & I was just like you. Dirt, no hoist, nothin'. Me & my buddies drug it from the barn to the bedroom on the carpet.

[fordman]

yes that is still a tarp. they can let moisture through them. they can also produce sweating inside them as well as could most everything else that is put over it.

[DuckRyder]

I would do my best to get it out of the weather and inside.

If not put some clear "painters plastic" inder the tarp. You can also get the desicant (sp?) and probably a inexpensive heater strip / dehumidifier at a firearms store. Look near the safes.

Since you can't really fog it you could put a small amount of oil in the cylinders and turn it over to coat the cylinder walls with oil.

[robroy]

Hey Matt, Fordman and Robert, thanks for the replies.

OK, this weekend when I'm at the site I'll try to improve the situation and check for moisture under the tarps. I've checked under there before, even after rain, and found it bone dry, but there's still a lot of moisture in the air.

Too bad there's no way to get it inside! I'd have to drag it, somehow, through eighty feet of mud and rocks. And even then it wouldn't be the best insulated structure.

My lesson learned for next time: don't order the engine until I'm ready for it, or until I'm a week away from being ready (since a week will naturally turn in to a few months)!

Thanks again!
-Robroy