I have a couple 350 blocks and cylinder heads that aren't going to be used for a long while and I was wondering if I could put them in a steel drum like the one in the link and then fill it with used oil from oil changes to keep them all from corroding. Would that work?

http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/...FYZcMgodf38A8Q

 

That should work but seems a little messy. I'd get them really clean and coat them with wd40 and store in a dry place.

 

I don't know dude , I think you'd be startin the makins of your very own "superfund" EPA hazardous waste cleanup site by tryin to store em in 55 gallon drums of waste oil . Can you imagine the mess in 10 or 15 years when one of them rusts through from the outside or gets punctured or otherwise compromised ?

Were these mine to store , and it was gonna be long term , I think I'd buy up a bunch of burlap and plastic bags , some kind of drying agent like the cloth bags full of silica gel like they use in stored RVs to combat moisture and a few cans of "Fogging spray" of the type that snomobilers store their engines with . I'd spray the heck outta each piece , getting especially all the ports , openings , and boltholes and such , and then I'd wrap em first in burlap and then in plastic , a couple of burlap and plastic bags each , and then just before I closed em up I'd toss in a few bags of Silica Gel to keep any moisture in check and then seal em up . This way they wont weigh a million tons when and if you ever need to move them , and your not sittin on 100 or so gallons of skanky oil as well ......

PS , if the fogging oil scares ya , you could always google the word "Cosmoline"

PS again , Forget WD-40 ! It will evaporate away in no time leaving your metal unprotected . It's a good choice for rusted bolts , but a poor long term storage choice .

 

I agree on the messy part. I'd coat them liberally with WD-40 or some other rust inhibitor and place them in sealed plastic bags. It would be a lot cleaner and cheaper and should be just as effective. Plus you won't have to be draining oil forever before using the block. Just make sure that you don't tear the plastic bags when moving them around.

 

I think the burlap and fogger probably would be a better idea, then just wrapping in a garage bag would work.

 

When I bought my bird the motor was on an engine stand under a shed. It was covered with an oil soaked heavy cloth and covered with plastic bags and hadthe bags and been that way for 4 years. When I removed the bags and cloth there was no rust anywhere, outside of engine had been painted and inside looked like new.

 

Capt. P was it a bare block?

 

Pistons in, heads on, crank in, no cam, no intake, no pan or valve covers. I could not believe there was no rust when i opened it up after being wrapped up that long.

 

I think aught to try that then. You think using an old bed sheet or towel would work?

 

As a swap meet vendor for a very long time and a engine builder we have use LSP 3 which is grantee not to rust for three yrs.It works.Thing is it is a pain to get off because of it's paraffin base.

 

Gary how much does it cost and where could I get it?

 

Cosmoline is what you want.

 

Towel or something heavier and really soak it good with oil.

 

I always just take motor oil and rub/pour it everywhere and seal it in a garbage bag in a dry area. I've kept blocks good for about a year this way. As far as a rotating assembly, grocery bags and oil work just fine too. The area must be relatively dry though; my basement gets wet and I use a dehumidifier to help.

 

The problem is there really is no where dry here. haha The humidity gets so bad during the spring and summer. Cosmoline sounds like a good idea though, you can put that over something with surface rust and it will prevent anymore rust right?

 

It's expensive.Around here it's about 8 to 9 bucks for a 20oz aerosol can.I got them to replace two cans because of short periods of storage they clogged up.My next purchase will be the bulk 1 gallon size with their hand sprayer.That will last me yrs because it goes a long way.We have used that for my best guess is 15 yrs or so.It has worked on all the parts we resell as well on engines we store that we build for customers.In all that time it has worked exactly as they say it does.

We get it from a local auto parts supplier.If you google it and call them,they can tell you who sells in your area.

 

Alright thanks Gary I will probably be getting some of that pretty soon here.

 

Hey Gary, I just orded some LSP 3, what do I have to do before and after I hit them with the LSP 3 and how much should 22 oz cover?

 

Got the LSP 3, spraying the stuff down and putting it in trash bags and put them in my basement.

 

The LPS 3 you want to spray upside down like you would a paint can once done spraying to help from clogging.The bags we use comes from Home Depot which are the large contractor heavy duty thick mm plastic that comes on a roll.The 22oz size will go a long ways.Your notice while spraying it goes on like syrupy which is the paraffin content of the protection.As I said the next purchase we make will the bulk container size because it does go so long that storage over the "yrs" became a issue with the cans clogging up.

 

Got it.