I have a few spare 3rd members that I'd like to store for future use. Is there a right way to store them to preserve them from rust and other elements? Totes? Etc.

 

Spray everything that would normally be contained WITHIN the axle housing with softseal/lanolin/crc...some sort of preservative like that(or if its got a nice film of old oil on it then leave that there instead of cleaning it). Then use some heavy duty industrial cling wrap, or numerous layers of kitchen cling wrap, or even a strong garbage bag that wont tear easily, and then use some duct or gaffa tape to secure it around the outside of the mounting surface. No need to wrap the external carrier housing, just cover the internal components

 

i spray them with oil and they fit in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid perfectly

 

Ive seen in a junk yard they had a shelf of good 3rds. They would leave them in the housings, and cut off the sides where the shafts go out to the wheels and weld them shut, kind of like a bolt on cap. Iv always wanted to make one.

 

All great great tips and tricks. Thanks for all the insight. The 5 gallon bucket seems like the winner. I'm gonna lube them up before I stick the diff in. I like the axel storage idea as well but I don't have any lying around.

 

I've done the bucket method before but I learned its a good idea to put a metal plate of some kind in the bottom of the bucket to help prevent the bottom from splitting under the weight of the 3rd. The last time I did this, I used some thin 20 gauge steel I had laying around and cut it to fit in the bottom.

 

Soft seal lanolin crc? Is this stuff hard to find?