grumpy55

What precautions should I take?
I can see new hoses and belts, probably points and plugs, and fresh oil and filter, what else?
Are there any special oil additives to soften(?) old seals and gaskets?
What about the water pump seal?
Thanks-in-advance.
Larry


[Modified by grumpy55, 8:34 AM 4/22/2002]

Kid_Again

...others will have better advice but i would replace every rubber component that comes into contact with gas (drain all gas and replace), starting with the 3/8" rubber hose at the gas tank...blow out the hardlines, replace the fuel pump because you need to throw a rebuild kit into the carb and you don't want a trashed pump diaphragm to wind up in the newly rebuild carb....replace the plug wires, etc....add oil through the plug holes and manually turn the crank to make sure you have no ugly surprises...flush the coolant system completely (including draining the block)...i wouldn't worry about the water pump unless you have problems with the manual turn-over.......before start-up, pull the distributor and, using a drill/adapter, make sure you have oil circulating

......before you fire it up, check ALL wires and replace any that are cracked...check all grounds....BEFORE you take it on the road, do a complete brake job r&r, starting at the mc, winding up at the wheels

GregP

Be sure to slowly turn the crank 2 full turns while running the oil preluber. Not all the oil passages are open at any given crank location, two turns will get oil into all the passages and return the crank to the correct position to reinstall the distributor (one turn leaves it 180 degress out, which I've done before :) )

-Greg

Kid_Again

GOOD point

grumpy55

I planned on re-doing the brakes, but the fuel system never crossed my mind.
Thanks.

Additional comments are more than welcome.

jungleboy

Fine recommendations all. Check for rust in gas tank! It can eat a carb up... I speak from experience - check it with a flashlight. You can assess the risk by the appearance of the inside of the gas cap, fuel filler neck, and how the upper surface of the gas tank feels to the touch (near the neck, of course). Consider putting a fuel filter inline upstream of the carb. Good luck.

Top_Notch

All good advice. I've started 2 : a '64 that sat 10 years, a '66 that sat 23 years. Pull the fuel line and pump fuel into a container from the gas tank until the line runs clean. Also, if your fuel pump doesn't feed gas from the tank, it's not necessarily the fuel pump. I replaced the pump on my '66 and had the same problem....no fuel. I jury rigged my mit-T-Vac to pull mucho vacuum after the fuel pump to start the gas flowing. Then I read somewhere that at the factory they sometimes would pressurize the tank for the first start.

chris ritchie

Brakes, gasoline, and lubrication for the engine.

Brakes: Complete replacement of hydraulics. Fluid is no good. Lines, wheel cylinders, and master cylinder need replacement or rebuild. 3 rubber flexible lines need replacement. No way this whole system isn't trashed by sitting that long. The rubber in the system has deteriorated to where it doesn't seal. The metal lines have rusted from the inside out to where they can't be trusted. Drums have rusted pretty bad.

Gasoline: The gas has turned to God knows what. You want to flush, replace, and rebuild anything it touched. Tank can be replaced for $200. Lines for under $100. Fuel pump and carb can be rebuilt. The amount of crud in the tank will shock you.

Engine lubrication: WD-40, Marvel Mystery Oil, or 10W oil in the spark plug holes to soak. The tool that attaches to your electric drill; goes in the distributor hole; and, spins the oil pump. Make sure you can turn the engine by hand before you try the starter. If you can turn the engine by hand, then spin the motor with the starter with the plugs out to thoroughly distribute the oil you put in the cylinders. Drape some cloths over the open plug holes - it'll be messy.

When you start it: Spin the oil pump one last time to get oil through the engine and out through the rockers. Get fresh gas in the carb and the engine pretty well accurately static timed. It should start right up. Try to keep revs around 1500-2000 for a while. Run it at least long enough for it to get to operating temperature. Do it outside - it'll be smokey. Do it with a friend so you have some help. Have a fire extinguisher handy. Keep an eye on the gauges and the gas line connections. Be ready to shut it down quickly.

After you finish the above, and fix all the problems, you can tune it as usual; drive off; and then, fix all the other problems you'll find.

Kid_Again

"Have a fire extinguisher handy"

...probably the best advice of all