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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12454
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 2:34 pm Post subject: How long can you store an engine? |
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A Recurring theme here seems to be how long can I store an engine so here’s one that’s been sitting around 15 years wrapped only in a trash bag on a self in my garage. It was built as a 1776 with C-35 cam and Ended up on back burner. Well I wondered myself how it had held up so spent about an hour and tore it down to look inside and also to get rid of the camshaft, stock appeals to a wider audience and there are better cam profiles since the old Scat C-35.
Here’s the story in a few pictures
Hard to see but there is a letter A behind that H so it’s an AH285385 dual relief with all the desirable bits including 8mm studs.
Here I’m just using 1/4 drive tools to show they fit better in tight places
There are three M8 bolts with nuts and washers as well as 12 M8 nuts and wavy washers around the perimeter but the two I’m pointing at are often completely covered with grease and hidden, that’s 15 total be sure to get them all. Of course you can’t miss the six big M12 nuts and washers
I’ve got all the fasteners off now and am ready to split the case. Here are two areas you can use to gently start the separation, you are using the end of stud and a cooling fin along the bottom. Never in 40 years have needed a case splitter tool this is more gentle and does no damage. Notice I didn’t take the oil pump out yet, the case will just start to split then pump will come out easy most times without needing any tool, they just fall out. This engine never ran so I used the factory type puller.
Well I got it all apart and it looked fabulous all the oil and assembly lube right where it should be I used lubriplate white grease and a cam lube and instead of permatex aviation this case was sealed with gaskacinch AKA pretty girl.
And there’s that old C-35, it’s the non dished cam and when this goes back together I’ll be using correct dished cam and 26mm oil pump.
So there it is and engine would have been fine to finish the build and fire up even after sitting all those years. I tried to sell this a few days ago but very few knew what they were looking at even fewer bothered to ask. 😀 |
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TDCTDI Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013 Posts: 12815 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 3:00 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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As it was, it couldn't have been any more of a procedure that "waking" up an engine that was in a car that sat for years on end. _________________ Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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67_13Deluxe Samba Resident Alien
Joined: February 18, 2005 Posts: 912 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 3:01 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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Id say for sitting for 15 years it looks pretty damn good! |
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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12454
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 3:14 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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I’d have to say each situation is different. This went through 15 seasons in attached garage in the Midwest USA. I’ve seen things stored near Houston lots more humidity and there was visible corrosion. In that situation I’d try to store things inside the house. |
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Starbucket Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2007 Posts: 4007 Location: WA
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 3:51 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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The paper bag was why. Paper absorbs moisture and then evaporates it so no corrosion. Put it in a plastic bag and 5 years later it's toast. |
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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12454
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 4:20 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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Starbucket wrote: |
The paper bag was why. Paper absorbs moisture and then evaporates it so no corrosion. Put it in a plastic bag and 5 years later it's toast. |
Mine was wrapped in garden variety hefty plastic garbage bags. I have seen a line of plastic storage bags specially made to wrap parts. You can use desiccant bags to absorb moisture also. |
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Cali_Army_Guy Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2015 Posts: 2094 Location: Stockton, CA
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 8:11 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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FWIW the borrowed motor in my car sat for 7 years or so before we put it in my bug. Changed the oil and hit the key. It’s been daily driven since April with no issues. _________________ 2015 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition
1966 VW Beetle - Sold |
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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12454
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: How long can you store an engine? |
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Spare time because of the holiday so I cleaned and prepped some of the
parts and as I said earlier even though this thing sat in a bag all the assembly lube stayed where it should and the lubriplate did not dry out as some have speculated. I broke it all down including the crankshaft, I’ll hit the car wash again to get case assembly clean.
Here’s most of it up on the bench. I like using those pans to hold everything having first seen them used in the pits at NHRA to keep everything together keeps stuff from rolling off onto the floor. Notice that crank has two paint marks they mean something. It means 10/10, this is how they used to come back from machine shop beautiful.
Here’s the cam going back in, it’s much smaller than the C-35 I had in there from 15 years ago. This cam is a so called bus cam to make low end torque. Off idle up to 2000 rpm that’s want I want. Bugpack 4061-10.
The case is ready for a thorough cleaning. I’m seriously considering building this one and installing into my 74 bug. Not that there’s anything wrong with what I’ve got but this might run just a bit better. |
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