1986 IROC, I just pulled my stock engine for a bit more powerful 350, my question is what should I put on the cylinder walls (sprayed in the spark plug holes) for 10-20 year storage? I plan on shrink wrapping the engine.

 

I would not shrink wrap the engine because the air tight wrap will promote condensation and corrosion.

I'll let other people talk to the steps of engine prep.

 

Buy an engine bag and an inexpensive oil pump primer. I wouldn't be spraying anything in the spark plug holes. You could pull it out of the bag once in a while and run the primer with a cordless drill for a minute and then turn it over with a wrench on the crank pulley bolt. Or if you left the starter on you could just hot wire it and turn it that way. That would be an easy way to re-apply oil to the inside of the engine and keep rust from forming.

 

I guess I'll take a stab at this since nobody else is. Here is a list of things I would do. You can probably dig up an old Car Craft or Hot Rod magazine article.

* Change oil and filter and run engine one last time. Used oil has acids that you want to flush out.
* Pull the drain plugs and completely empty the block of coolant. Install new drain plugs.
* Loosen all the rockers so to relieve the valve springs.
* Oil the cylinders to keep the rings from seizing to the cylinder bore. Turn the engine a couple times.
* If you have aluminum cylinder heads, then put anti-seize on any bolt that is external to the head.
* Dab a little anti-seize on the spark plugs and thread in only finger tight. What you're doing is plugging the holes so mice and insects can't crawl in.
* Cover the throttle body so mice and insects don't crawl in.
* Cover any little tiny orifice and hole so mice and insects don't crawl in.

I would periodically turn the engine by hand 1/4 turn. DO NOT use a starter motor. A lot of wear occurs at the speed a starter can turn. And remember, masking tape doesn't come off after it sits a while.

 

Google "fogging oil"

 

Bumping a starter motor just to rotate the crank once is not going to do any more harm than turning it by hand and it has the added bonus of being WAY easier and faster. Letting the starter rotate the engine several times, yeah, you've got a point. That's why I would use an oil pump primer for a moment and then bump it..

 

Bumping a starter will destroy the starter solenoid contacts. You're breaking open the contacts during in-rush current and causing heavy arcing that can melt the contacts.

It's eeeeeeeasy to turn an engine by hand. And you can feel if things have changed and avoid damage.

 

Riiiiiiiiight....

 

I don't have many talents, and I'm no mechanic.... but I do get paid very well to know that particular piece of info. And you got it for free today, you lucky dog!

I'm guessing that you're envisioning "melting" as the whole thing liquifying like it was in a furnace. Sorry, that's my fault, I usually try to do a better job translating from engineer language to non-technical language. Let me try again.

Bumping a starter causes localized metal transfer where the battery terminals make contact with the contact disc. And if you bump the starter repeatedly, even just a few times, then the copper can literally flow (yes, it gets that hot). Breaking high-current DC does some real damage, and the current is highest when the starter is rotating at it's slowest. Starter solenoids are designed to open the contacts when the starter is at a high speed (no load), and the current is at it's lowest during engine start up.

 

if you have carb engine, you could just dump oil down carb until entire block is filled with oil

 

Well, brother, the people of TGO have weighed in and obviously it's gotten to the point where this is your better alternative.

 

+1 for Drew

And , Qwktrip's list in post #4 contains every single thing I'd do , since we're talking a 10 to 20 year storage .

If you want to 100% insure the engine survives a 10 to 20 year storage , look into the Aircraft world to see what is done to preserve an engine . We used a waxy substance called "Cosmoline" to coat literally every metal part inside and out , we had packages of dessicant that would be placed in intake & exhaust ports and in any other handy openings into the inner works (which would then be sealed off) , we even had special hollow sparkplugs that were full of dessicant to keep moisture out of the cylinders . The same Cosmoline stuff was soaked into heavy cloth like burlap to wrap the engine in , a properly stored engine should be good indefinitely , of course where it's stored (climate controlled hopefully) plays a big part in storage survival as well . A damp shed will undo even the best applied measures , and turn it into a lump of rust

 

Bumping a starter once every other month is not going to melt it.
My previous starter was on the car for over 10 years. I only removed it because I changed headers and it no longer fit. Can't tell you how many times I used the starter to rotate the crank for timing, find TDC, dropping in a distributor and setting valve lash. Same goes with many other people that I have known over the years who all did the exact same thing and were never changing starters every year.

 

cosmoline or grease the cyl walls..rest will need oil covering it. Or keep it inside and make a coffee table out of it if youre willing to trip over it for 20 yrs
finding gen 1 blocks are getting more scarce maybe its a good idea to hang on to it. Good if you need it sucks to try and sell one nobody seems to want anything but lsx stuff these days