Storing spare parts

Earz

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I've got quite a few spare parts. My garage seems to be packed full, but it's kind of a random chaos with parts laying everywhere. We're getting ready to put our house on the market and I need to get this stuff organized, and ready to move when the house sells. I'm curious how you guys store and organize your spare parts.

I've got engines from different years, torndown and complete. Fuel tanks, wheels, brake parts, etc. How do you guys keep this stuff straight (particularly engine components). I'd rather not pile everything into a box and loose track of what went to what year? I thought about big rubbermaid tubs, but wasn't sure if they'd be heavy duty enough to transport when we move. Give me some ideas and pictures if you got 'em.

BTW - I am not interested in selling anything until I get into a different location. Things are just too hectic right now.
 
Rubbermaid tubes are pretty heavy duty. I usually write directly on the part with a Sharpie in a spot that is not seen when mounted. I write the bike it goes to and the year if needed. You could also number your engines and then put the corresponding number on the parts for each one.
 
i would suggest (from experience) to not go with the larger tubs. You can fit most of an engine in the larger ones (and you will, without thinking about it)then be unable to lift them. Or your friends helping you move will swear at you a lot.
 
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- i bag the bits in sets with a little oil sprayed on them, label the bag and put it in a box with bits belonging to the same motor or the same bike...the box is also labelled on the end with what is in it and put onto my parts rack...will keep for years and as all the bits are together you dont end up searching for the missing ones...also i take photos with my digital camera
 
If you have time this makes moving motors easy. Tubs for everything else.
 

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If you are as organized as me, (sounds like it with parts every where), then once you bag and box your gear then it could be a month of Sundays before you get around to unpacking. I live in a wet area with high humidity, the only 2 things i use for spraying on metal/ chrome parts i store, (and my bike for that matter and i live one street from the beach), is WD40 (i buy it by the 5 liter container for $40.00) or Lanolin oil and i also buy that by the 5 liter container for around $80-90 for 5 liters. Never rusts but pays to check the WD40 sprayed parts and respray if needed. I never use oil up here as with the humidity and wet, and oil floats on water, things will rust before realizing, it especially if packed away.
 
^^^^^lol

I second the big plastic containers (rubbermaid type), easy to lift and store/stack. Very reusable, in fact I've just left my stuff in them.
rubbermaid_container.jpg
 
I store parts in big rubbermaid containers. As I put the parts in the container I enter on a sheet of paper the name of the part, the year, condition, etc. As each part goes into the container it gets added to the sheet. When the container is filled it gets labeled as Yamaha #1. The sheet gets labeled Yamaha #1 also then gets put into a loose leaf notebook. The next bin is Yamaha #2 with its corresponding sheet of parts, so in the end if I have 10 bins of parts I have 10 sheets of paper in the notebook so anytime I want to know whats in say bin #5, I just look on sheet #5. My bins are stored up high on shelves in my barn so the notebook saves me from climbing a ladder to see whats written on the bin.. Also I have found a great product called "Fluid Film" to prevent corrosion of stored items. I get it at our local John Deere dealer. It displaces moisture like wd40 but last way longer..... BG
 
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