I was just wondering if its bad for a crate engine to sit for an extended period of time without being put into a car? Because I would like to purchase a crate LS1 but it will be a considerable amount of time before I would be able to put it in my car, probably several years. The new CAFE standards have me thinking that automakers will stop making V-8's all together pretty soon. Just wanted to know you all think.

 

I dont think the v8 is going anywhere anytime soon, just there may be more smaller engines popping up. As for sitting, yes sitting is bad, sitting for several years is also very bad. I think you should wait till you get a little closer to your swap time.

Even if the v8 ceased production tomorrow, there are still eleventy-billion of them out there so finding one would not really be an issue.

 

it really depends on the time. several years in a climate controled room (not a damp basment) should be fine. but it will really come down to the moisture rusting cyl walls. which would be great if you could keep them lubed with oil some how. as I said with the temp. controled. seals and sealant should be fine for many years

I really doubt any of the company's will stop making V8s. infact you may see more

 

No an engine won't "go bad" from sitting around, if stored in a favorable environment (living room).


But let me give you 3 glimpses of how the REAL WORLD works:

1. It is cheaper to store and ship money than engines.

2. You don't have to worry about money going bad when it is stored.

3. When money is stored, it INCREASES in value; when engines are stored, they DECREASE in value.


In other words, the correct question to ask is not, will the engine go bad; rather, it is, why should you be buying an engine AT ALL if you're not going to use it for several years. Put the $4000 or so into a mutal fund, and come back in whatever you think the time horizon is for the obsolescence of the LS1, say 15 to 25 years, and you'll be able to afford PLENTY of LS1s. In fact, $4000 in an account earning 9% interest, will become $13,367 in 15 years; $20,567 in 20 years, and $31,644 in 25 years. If the long-term interest you can earn is 10%, those numbers all become MUCH higher, keeping in mind that the long-term (the last 100 years or more) appreciation of the US stock market is 11%.

My crystal ball is a bit foggy when I try to use it to see the future of personal transportation. (Yes, I actually own one: I bought it when I got tired of being asked at work when certain kinds of things that I had absolutely no control over and no way to even have knowledge of whatsoever, were going to happen; so I set it on my desk and the next time the pointy-haired boss came over and asked a question like that, I could look at it... it totally put an end to that line of questioning.) But however all that may be, (a) I don't see CAFE eliminating the V8 any time soon, since modern V8s are more efficient, in terms of BSFC, than smaller engines with fewer cylinders; (b) I don't see that, with as HUGE an installed base on the road as there is, that the LS1 or its superior cousins will be hard to get any time soon; and (c) if in fact CAFE or whatever else renders the LS1 obsolete, then by the time LS1s become hard to obtain, so will gasoline, spark plugs, and all the other things needed to keep one in operation.

In other words, I cannot find an angle to look at this proposal from, where it makes any economic sense.