How do you protect NOS spare parts?

I suppose that this is not as great a problem with M-B's policy of keeping parts available for everything they ever made (if you can afford them), but I just acquired my dream retirement cruiser: an '86 BMW 524TD, and I'm hanging around EBay looking for new parts to build an inventory of the things unique to this model that I might need for the next 20 years or so. I've already acquired a water pump and am considering bidding on a brake master cylinder and some other items which involve combinations of specialized metal and rubber or plastic stuff for which preservation of one without harming the other could be critical. Do any of you have any suggested vapor bag sprays or any mil. spec. treatments which might be available and useful??? Cosmoline is fine for my gun collection, but I don't think it's the answer for some auto parts.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Several years ago, when I was working at a small independant BMW shop, there were many parts for the 524td that were shared with the 528e, but parts for the BMW diesel were getting hard to find. I recall, when we had to get a replacement for the camshaft-driven vacuum pump, we were told it was the last one in the US.
I've used 90 weight gear oil, automatic trans fluid or spray-on white grease to preserve metal items that were stored outside but sheltered from the weather. Some of my other parts have held up OK in my unheated attic, but I had to install an attic ventilator fan to cool it off in the summer and I'm planning to add another one.
My best suggestion to preserve parts would be to store as much as possible inside your heated & airconditioned living space.

Happy Motoring, Mark