How to preserve engine for a couple weeks while heads are off
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,125
Likes: 4
From: Alexandria, VA
How to preserve engine for a couple weeks while heads are off Pulling the heads today, just wondering what the best way to preserve the cylinders as the car will be sitting in an open garage for a couple weeks. I'm gonna cover it with saran wrap and thought I'd put some WD40 or something in the cylinders to prevent rust. Just wondering what the best thing to do/use is while the heads are out being ported.
Not WD-40, go to a Marina and get some storage lubrication they use in the marine engines over the winter. I am partial to the Mercury brand, and used that in my engine while it was apart. I live near the coast and we always have a salt laden moist breeze this time of year, so if you don't take the proper precautions you would surprise the amount of rust that can develop overnight 
Some people use regular motor oil, some people use assembly lube and a friend of mine uses 2 stroke oil cause its thick and pasty.. I have used 20w50 plenty of times with zero issues..
Motor oil will work, it won't stick as well as the marine stuff. Use a soft rag to coat the cylinder walls and turn the motor by hand about 1/2 turn at a time and keep wiping down the walls.
Fogging oil is what I think vettenuts is talking about. It should be available at local tractor supply or lawn equipment shops. I use it to winterize my boat engine and it's good stuff. Autozone or auto stores should have it too. Regular motor oil should work fine too. I used wide masking tape to cover the bores and lifter areas.
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Joined: Aug 2004
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From: Buffalo, N.Y.
I just smeared straight 30 weight oil all over each cylinder wall with my fingers. My block was on an engine stand, so I enclosed it with a cinch-strap plastic lawn/leaf bag. The cinch-strap didn't close the bag completely, so I gave it a few twists, and zip-tied the opening closed. It sat that way for almost 5 months. When it came time to send the block out to the machinist, and I took the bag off, the block looked like it did when I "bagged" it up.
Motor oil works just fine. Beware of sealing off bores, this can produce moisture this time of year, morning dew if the car is stored outside. 
. If the hood is closed and they are coated with oil, should be no problem.
Cleaning the head bolt holes, removing liquids. This is the part that everyone looks forward to lol! I rigged up a plastic straw to a wet-vac. Huge amount of suction to suck up residual oil and coolant. Don't mess with the rolled up paper towels, you'll go crazy. ARP sells a thread chaser too to ensure torque reading accuracy.
. If the hood is closed and they are coated with oil, should be no problem.Cleaning the head bolt holes, removing liquids. This is the part that everyone looks forward to lol! I rigged up a plastic straw to a wet-vac. Huge amount of suction to suck up residual oil and coolant. Don't mess with the rolled up paper towels, you'll go crazy. ARP sells a thread chaser too to ensure torque reading accuracy.
I just wiped a bit of motor oil in teh cylinders and my engine was fine. I covered the engine with some towels. I had the heads off for 3 weeks and no problems.
Last edited by bowtieman81; May 13, 2006 at 07:53 PM.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,125
Likes: 4
From: Alexandria, VA
Thanks for the help guys, I'll just coat it all with some oil. Don't have to worry about cleaning the bolt holes... I've got 12pt ARP studs in there... makes life a bit easier for these type of things 
Originally Posted by ArcticZ28
Thanks for the help guys, I'll just coat it all with some oil. Don't have to worry about cleaning the bolt holes... I've got 12pt ARP studs in there... makes life a bit easier for these type of things
Originally Posted by ArcticZ28
It's a 408 with barely 1500 miles on it, no need to change anything, already have all the good parts Just need more flow from the heads.
Just need more flow from the heads. Sounds good then, good luck with the heads. 
Thanks. Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,125
Likes: 4
From: Alexandria, VA
Quick question... I have the ARP 12pt studs like i said before. I cleaned the coolant out of the cylinders and tightened a few of the studs down with an allan wrench that came a few threads out when unbolting the nuts. Question is, could coolant have gotten down into the threads if they only came slightly loose from tight when I took the heads off? The most that was needed was about a quarter turn with an allen wrench to compltely tighten a few but I just wanna make sure that nothing could have gotten down in there. I'm a worrier, so just ease my mind. Thanks.
Once the heads are off, the studs are easy to get out. Personally, I would check them. Since there is a bore diameter larger than the studs down to the top of the threads, I would just verify each one has no coolant in it. Like you, I am an **** worry wort 
Originally Posted by vettenuts
Once the heads are off, the studs are easy to get out. Personally, I would check them. Since there is a bore diameter larger than the studs down to the top of the threads, I would just verify each one has no coolant in it. Like you, I am an **** worry wort