Getting my 454 back from the engine builder next week, but i don't have the engine bay finished. Question is how long can I have this motor on the stand? I'm guessing I'll be ready to put it back in in a couple of months. Still looking for manual trans, and money, this thing has really snowballed. Should I be doing anything to it every couple of weeks (besides talking to it, cleaning it, polishing it, sleeping with it, oops did I type that?, maybe thats why I'm divorced) Back to the subject, what maintanance is required for a freshly built 454 on the stand for a few months?

I would just install the intake manifold and put tape over all ports and not worry about it. If it is in a shop, just do that and cover it with a large plastic bag.

One thing, I do not like, is with Comp Cams.if you use, There lube is so thin, that it drips off. So if you let it set for a long while, I would be concerned? Defentely per lube, before start up.

Rat,
I had a guy call me a few years ago and asked me if there was anything special he should do before starting a 440 Chrysler engine we had built for him. I could not remember the guy to save my soul ... turned out we had built the engine SEVEN YEARS before he called !!!!!! He preoiled it, fired it up, and it is still running fine to this day.

The only warning I would give is ... if the garage is not climate controlled, I would not leave it in a plastic bag. Temperature changes tend to form condensation in plastic. Just throw an old sheet over it instead to keep the dust off.

My engine was on the stand for over a year. My engine builder fogged each cylinder and down the intake. He told me to turn the engine once a month as not to weaken the valve springs. Engine is running fine to date. The fogging just keeps the surface rust to a minimum due to the heat and cool in a garage and with the seasons.

I would just set the intake in place but dont torque it down. That way you can just take the intake off and re-apply some prelube right down onto the cam.