i have a 496 and i'm pretty new to all this.. i've had it for the past yr and haven't put it in the car yet.. just been sitting in the garage.. i've been putting oil in it and spraying it w/ seafoam every now and then just to keep it lubricated but it appears i have developed some surface rust on the cast iron part of the motor directly above the cam.. is that something to worry about.. and does it matter that i haven't started the engine in over a yr? it's never been started b4.. all new gaskets on it.. and it appears the top of the valve springs developed a little surface rust.. any insight?

The first problem is that you have a 496 that has just been sitting in a garage for a year. I'm sure there are more than a few members here that would be happy to break it in for you. LOL

You want to keep it some where warm and dry to prevent the rust. Spraying it with seafoam might not protect it if it is not oil based. I have heard of using wb-40 to prevent rust on bare metal, but not seafoam. To get the surface rust off, you may want to try using a lemon cut in half. The acid in the juice can help cut the rust and you don't have to worry about pieces of sand paper getting in your fresh motor.

k so i'll try the lemon trick.. otherwise i shouldn't really have any problems though.. i've put plenty of oil all over the internals of the motor while it's been sitting.. it's just that rust that's starting to scare me

Matt,
If it is rusting where you can see it, it is also rusting where you cannot see it :( Spray the heck out of it with WD40 then try to move it into your basement or somewhere that the temperature does not change much. The guy that grinds our cranks for us soaks them in WD40 before he puts them in a bag. I have some that have been sitting for 5 years at least and have absolutely no rust anywhere, but .... we keep the shop at 75 degrees year round.

Surface rust, you say? The motor is junk. Give me your address and I'll come take it off your hands:D

yeah i just sprayed the motor w/ a bunch of wd40.. if i get this thing running soon do u guys think i'll be alright?

do u guys think i should pull the motor apart and clean up all the parts?

Was the crank and camshaft pre-lubed when the engine went together? If yes, bearing surfaces and lifters should be ok. Fill the crankcase with fresh oil, something like Chevron Delo 15w40, pull the distributor and manually turn the oil pump clockwise until you get oil out the pushrods onto all the rockers. Keep the engine covered and stored in a dry place until you're ready to run it, it's probably alright.

i have a 496 and i'm pretty new to all this..

OMG!!!!!!
I hope you dont try a full power pass the first time you drive the car....you'll kill yourself and probably a few others!

yeah i have the motor all opened up to look at the lifters and cam and push rods don't have any rust on them just a little on the top of the valve springs and the block itself.. and it appears the connecting rods have a little bit on them and a tiny bit on the crank itself

yeah i just sprayed the motor w/ a bunch of wd40.. if i get this thing running soon do u guys think i'll be alright?

Short answer is: Yes. You'll be fine. Before you attempt to start the engine take a "lint free" oily rag and wipe every speck of rust that you can find. That will get any loose rust scale on the rag and off the engine. The rust scale is not anywhere near as abrasive as the metal it came from. Do the best cleanup you can. Put in fresh oil. After you get it running put 50 or so miles on the engine and change oil again. After that you should be good to go. Your oil filter will catch anything drifting around.

Enjoy the 496!

Bill

WD-40 will not prevent rust. :noway:

alright awesome thanks guys...