storing spare engines

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yellowdart72

yellowdart72

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Anyone have any ideas for storing spare engines. I have like 8 complete engines in my garage that need to be moved and stored somewhere else but they are heavy and awkward to move. So I was thinking of building some kind of rack with wheels and maybe such that two engines can be stacked on the rack.

hard to explain the vision in my brain but I thought I would check to see if anyone has ideas to address this problem
 
my other question is how much do these things weigh.

Luckily they have tags marking what they are. The one in this pic has a tag marked 383 and there are four engines marked 340 and three more marked 440. so what would they weigh as a close guess. They are all mostlycomplete like the one in this photo.
 

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Hoarder! Lol, I'm jealous I guess, I've got 4 engines sitting around. Yeah, they're heavy and awkward, I haven't seen anything like what you described. I remember a thread a while back where someone customized some inexpensive 4 wheel dollies, you can get them cheap. Maybe that might work for you. Good luck
 
bighammer said:
Hoarder! Lol, I'm jealous I guess, I've got 4 engines sitting around. Yeah, they're heavy and awkward, I haven't seen anything like what you described. I remember a thread a while back where someone customized some inexpensive 4 wheel dollies, you can get them cheap. Maybe that might work for you. Good luck
Click to expand...

They are not mine but have become permanent residents in my garage and they need to be moved. I have a barn I can move them to but there is only a dirt floor out there so tiny wheels will be a problem and plus I don't want them to get damaged out there so I need to figure a way to seal them up.
 
Here's what I have made for mine.

It's simple wood project, and very sturdy and easy to make; 3/4" plywood base with 2"x10" rails and supports.

Then I went to a tool supply store and bought some 3" caster wheels rated for 350# each. I put the wheels on it so I can roll them around to move them when I need to.

You can always use the "base" with out the wheels for storing on a shelf or to transport in the back of a pick-up truck and keep them from tipping.

It uses the oil pan rail to support the engine. We bought one made of metal many years ago, but the company is no longer in business. So I took their concept of supporting on the oil pan rail and made it out of wood.


Here are two views showing the basic wood frame:

The side view:

View attachment Engine Dolly B01 B.jpg

The front/rear view:

View attachment Engine Dolly B02 B.jpg

Here is a view of the bottom with the wheels on it:

View attachment Engine Dolly B03 B.jpg

Here is test fitting with an oil pan:

The side view:

View attachment Engine Dolly B04 B.jpg

The front/rear view:

View attachment Engine Dolly B05 B.jpg

Here it is with a real 360 engine on it. The beauty of it is it's easy to just lower an engine on it with the engine hoist:

Here's the front view with an engine:

View attachment Engine Dolly C0 ft B.jpg

Here's the side view with an engine:

View attachment Engine Dolly C0 lt B.jpg

Now here it is pushed against the wall of my garage:

View attachment Engine Dolly C02 B.jpg
 
My father in law uses the bottom half of old shopping carts. They support lots of weight and can be found in most ditches. We always have lots at the public works yard I work at that just go in the scrap bin. They are a little long though but the bigger wheels are nice and they do fit under a bench. You could even leave the trans attached.
 
we bought furniture dollies at harbor freight rated 600 lbs
for our engines and trans.
built a frame like above for the engines
empty blocks just stand them up, on the dollies

really makes it nice to move them around, or sweep/clean around them

027.jpg
 
x2 on the metal wheels....the plastic ones will get flat spots.

Just went through this with a slant six that sat on a stand for 3 years. I could barely get the cart to roll.
 
those work great, but he like myself, need to store them onn dirt floors, those small asters don't work too well om dirt holding up a 500# motor. maybe the answer is having 4 large strong teenages handy!????
 
CHeap hand trucks work...just use ratchet straps to secure the motor to it. Or jsut go to HD/Lowes pick up some 2x6's, go to HF and get some of the larger, air filled casters and build your own dolly. Have a 440 block/4l80e case sitting on the one I built in the garage...
 
draginmopars said:
we bought furniture dollies at harbor freight rated 600 lbs
for our engines and trans.
built a frame like above for the engines
empty blocks just stand them up, on the dollies

really makes it nice to move them around, or sweep/clean around them
Click to expand...


I bought the Harbor Freight ones, and they keep breaking on me. Even the blue plastic one with the metal support rod that is rated for 1000 lbs broke when I put a 400 engine and trans on it. POS!

That's why I finally decided to make the ones on my own. They are much stronger than what Harbor Freight has. I'll even bet money on that. (I'm not much of a better/gambler)
 
theres a idea. DO plug ALL the holes. and dont for get the spark plug holes. a friend lost a 440 to bees.
 
IF you buy the casters with inflatable tires, (especially ones from HF) have an air compressor on hand because all the ones I have leak air! You would hate to line up a bunch of engines on dollys all in a row under a bench or something and then have the tires go flat and have to drag them out with flat tires!
 
I quit storing or hoarding motors a few years ago.I had a 340,slant 6 and several big blocks.I thought you know what I am never going to use them all and all they do is take up room I really need to quit being a horder.I sold about 10 engines and about 6 trannys.I still have 4-5 trannys out in the shed.
 
if you have some big pipe say 3 inch diameter or bigger. Cut them in wheel widths and weld plates to the outsides and make some brackets to hold the axle shafts and you have cheap wheels.
Bigger the pipe the easier it will be to roll. Tires with air are useless when they go flat in a year or so.

Otherwise start building your own rack to pile the engines
 
Make sure all holes that are external are blocked up...either with plastic plugs or very oily/greasey rags.
Caterpillar have this stuff called VCI Oil....it's made for just the purpose of preserving engines, diffs and trannys.

[ame]https://catoilandgas.cat.com/cda/files/1823203/7/PEHJ0241.pdf[/ame]

We use it ^^^^^^^^^^^^ all the time at work.
You may be able to find something similar.
Pour a pint of it into the sump, and some in each spark plug hole, and a little down the carby.
 
Put heavy oil in each cylinder and turn the engine

Consider removing the valve covers and loosening the valve train so that all of the valves are closed. And while you are in there make sure everything has a good coat of heavy oil.

Brushing on some 90 weight wouldn't hurt.

Close it back up and leave yourself a note of what you did.

paint everywhere there is exposed metal even in the exhaust ports.
 
the big problem with making anything movable is your dealing with dirt. i made a few out of shopping carts as well, and i left the handles on and fabed motor mounts so the motors were attached to the carts. it might be worth it to pour a bunch of bags of cement where your going to store the motors. if you need to move them to another spot, pour more cement, and before you know it, it will be an all cement floor.
 
I have a 2 bay garage and have to house my Imperial, My duster and 3 engines. I built this out of sleepers and 4 x4 for legs. Its all braced at the bottom between the legs and the blocks holding the engines are notched into the base of the rack. I have room underneath to store a couple of transmissions. I also have a 360 on engine stand right hand side beside rack which im building up to a 408. The engines are off the ground and out of the way which I find great.
 

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