[greenpondmike]

Well, sometimes people don't have as stabile a job or profession as others and if their motor is on its last legs they may buy a whole motor while they have the money and even though they didn't mean to let it set up too long life happens, so it's best to do something to preserve it just in case because no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

I got an engine for $75 one time--the same kind that was in my truck. I didn't need it at the time although my engine had a dead miss on one cyl. It was a deal I couldn't pass up and I'm glad I didn't. I sat it on the ground and put oil in the cylinders and intake I think and I may have even filled it with cheap oil. I also covered it. A year to a year and a half later I installed it. It was still loose after all that time even though it sat on the ground in the weather although it was covered.
I admit though--a freshly rebuilt engine is best if you can wait and the future works out for you...otherwise, cheap oil is your friend. Cheap oil keeps guns from rusting, so why not engines? Store with confidence.