What is everyone's feeling about rebuilding a Nailhead, wrapping it up in plastic bags with dessicant and storing it for 4 or 5 years? Any good precautions to take in the way of lubricants, rust protection? I run a dehumidifier in my shop and don't really have any moisture problems. Will the assembly lube hold up that long? Of course, when start up time came, I would pour oil over the cam and lifters and prime the oil pump before starting. Anything else? Thanks
A tbs of transmission fluid in each cylinder and cycle it a few times. Seal the intake, spark plug holes and exhaust ports. Unseal, use a drill to create oil pressure, turn over at least yearly and re-seal. Try to move the crank to a different position before resealing to change the springs under pressure or remove the rocker arms altogether. Cheryl
I thought I would leave the rockers off. That way, there is no pressure on the cam, lifters and springs. I always use a drill to prime the pump before cranking. Probably best to leave out lifters and pushrods, as well. That way, cam lube is not wiped off when rotated. Thanks, @Babeola !
I go along with Babeola and I'd leave it at that. I would turn the engine over a heck of a lot more often then yearly though. I would also leave the rockers installed. If you remove them, the valves will just sit closed for the entire storage period. If you do remove the rockers, I would leave the valve covers finger-tight and at least a couple of times per year pull the covers and move each valve. I'd push on them with the handle of a hammer. Nailheads don't have a lot of valve spring pressure (unless you have an other-then-stock valve train), So moving the valves by hand isn't a big deal.
