jveik

im getting my motor any day now, just a shortblock, but i have come to realize that i dont have the money or the time as of right now to get heads for it and get it in running condition. i was planning on taking the shortblock out of its crate and installing it, then just letting it sit while i assemble the front clip of the truck around it (fenders, grille, hood, ect...) this process may take a long time and require the engine to sit there possibly even through the winter while the project hibernates in my garage. will this be a problem, such as maybe oil slowly seeping out of where it should be and causing the engine to be damaged when it finally comes time to turn it over? it is a rebuilt 350 stroked to a 383 with a comp cams flat tappet hydraulic in it and it will likely sit for over 6 months before i run it for the first time... just need to know if i have to pre-oil anything before i try to start it up or if i can just bolt the heads on and stuff and try it...

Any advice greatly appreciated, so thanks in advance for any tips...

s10chevybogger

there is no problem for letting the motor sit for any length of time just make sure its in out of all elements and before you go to start it unplug the powere wires and role it over for a minute to make sure the oil pump pumps oil threw out the motor before start up on my mud truck i have a power switch like most big blocks do so i can leave the power off and role it over a few times then when i think its oiled enough then i turn the power on and vroom that way it doesnt damage anything and your seals and gaskets dont heat up and spilt some where causing more head aches believe me ive been down that road once and when i had to replace gasket after gasket i realized i needed to do somthing about it but anyways your motor should be fine if it stays in your garage oh wait if your garage is only heated sometimes like if it has a little wood stove in it there might be a condensation problem but if its heated all the time there shouldnt be any problem but good luck with the project

bobss396

Give the short block manufacturer a call and ask his advice. I would not install the engine in that chassis at this point, no matter how well you seal it up something can still get inside it and it will be in a relatively dirty environment.

Leave it in the crate for safety's sake. They are generally oiled up to protect them in a prolonged storage condition so it should be fine. Just prime the oil pump before the initial firing up and keep things clean in every step of the assembly process.

Bob