Got my original crank back in (the0 sink

Dug out of storage, is my original crankshaft from my 77 KZ1000 A model. I put it in-sink just for pics. Should I attempt to clean it, or just wrap it back up for later usage or sale ?  Thanks.....

At minimum I'd oil it up and wrap to keep more rust from coming.

I would sand /clean /wire wheel all the rust of it, clean it with WD40 or similar, oil it and wrap it in clear plastic film, I just use regular old sandwich wrap, works for me and keeps all the air out....

Be very careful if you clean it to avoid any rust or dirt getting into the bearings.  FWIW...I wouldn't bother cleaning it but I would oil up the bearings to avoid them from rusting.

wrote:

Be very careful if you clean it to avoid any rust or dirt getting into the bearings.  FWIW...I wouldn't bother cleaning it but I would oil up the bearings to avoid them from rusting.

Good point , but I'd still clean it all up, if it went to a shop for a clean it wouldn't stop them, just be diligent about cleaning the bearings properly...

wrote:

Be very careful if you clean it to avoid any rust or dirt getting into the bearings.  FWIW...I wouldn't bother cleaning it but I would oil up the bearings to avoid them from rusting.

Agree with HRM's advice.  Dirt/grit/abrasive particles are the absolute enemy of rolling element bearings.  And, once that stuff gets into your bearings, you'll never know if you got all of it out without disassembling the crank and fully cleaning (and I see that your's is welded up, which adds more effort to the process).  So, either don't clean or do a very minimal clean and definitely oil up the bearings.

Also, the one pic seems to show rust in the wristpin bores?  If so, this could be a problem as, even under good conditions, the wristpin bores seem to be prone to galling if used in a high output situation - a rough, rusted surface will only aggravate this problem.  This is why the wristpin bores get bronze bushed in a race spec crank.  

One last thought - back in the day, I used to store my cranks submerged in oil.  I'd buy the large, flat, Rubbermaid containers and fill with cheap bulk oil.  A bit of a PITA, but I looked at it as cheap insurance.

Hope that this helps a little.

Mike

 

Thanks for the advise guys. I'll always have an interesting door stop if nothing else...