Storing a engine case

[advtracing]

simple question , should you bolt up the empty engine case again when storing to stop any possibility of it twisting / moving or is this not required .

[bliebler]

A riend of mine told me that in 6 months his mag case out did twist after splitting the case and storing on the shelf. Take the time bolt it and torque it together.

[robmog]

I thought the warp comes from thermal stress.
I had my case media tumbled, flattened and align bored.
It sat for 6 months and was fine.
I wish I had wiped it down with some oil though.
It developed some "white rust" from sitting
that added hours to my case prep time when
I started my rebuild.

[tom1394racing]

1. Clean thoroughly
2. Dry with compressed air including all oil passages
3. Coat inside an out with Gibbs
4. Assemble case half's & hand tighten a couple of perimeter nuts

Corrosion is the biggest enemy. The case will not warp on the shelf.

[preS]

Tom,

Is it a good or bad idea to put it in a plastic bag on top of your recommendation?

Richard

[Dezzmo]

I was unaware of this potential problem, I have a 2.2E case sitting up in my attic split apart. I guess I should clean it up and bolt it together for safe keeping.

[tom1394racing]

You can use a plastic bag but don't seal it. It can trap moisture, prevent evaporation and accelerate corrosion. Ask me how I know.

Plastic bags are good for preventing dust or dirt contamination.

All my stored cases are open to the air after treating with Gibbs.

[csbush]

I would definately keep the case bolted togther. Doesn't need to be torqued, but snug. I didn't on one and had to have it line bored again. Won't make that mistake again.

[304065]

If you must store in plastic there are transparent blue bags that emit a corrosion inhibitor. I would also throw in a big bag of dessicant and vacuum all the air out of the bag. That keeps it from snagging on things and the dessicant will run the moisture level down. Limiting the moisture level will slow the rate of corrosion.

[gruen911]

I would definately keep the case bolted togther. Doesn't need to be torqued, but snug. I didn't on one and had to have it line bored again. Won't make that mistake again.

Me too. The problem is primarily with mag cases, not the pre-69 aluminum ones. Had to have mine line bored after letting it sit for a year after disassembly.
Definitely put the case halves together before storing.