Monte164

Hi, I'm looking at a 1964 stingray to buy that has literally been sitting for 30 years. I can not get a firm answer from the owner on how it was stored, but it looks like he just parked it in the garage and did nothing to it.

My question is: Should I take the heads off and look at the cylinders and oil them or could I remove the spark plugs and put oil in the cylinders that way and let them soak for 48 hours.
I plan on changing all hoses, fuel lines and dropping the fuel tank to get the gas out.
Has anyone been involved in this type of long incorrect storage in the past?

elwood13

Welcome to the forum. If your not familiar with C2’s it might be worthwhile to have someone inspect it. As far as the cylinders, I bought a cheap endoscope to look in the cylinders, up in the birdcage and frame as much as possible.

Railroadman

That's literally what I bought last April. A '64, sitting in a garage for about 25 years untouched.

Are you talking about oiling the cylinders etc as part of the inspection, or after you have bought it? While the motor is certainly something that will need attention, really the bigger questions are the frame and birdcage. You can swap in a NOM motor for not too much, and even take your time rebuilding the one in there now. But if you have structural problems, you need to know it before purchase.

If you love working on a project, and bringing a car back from a long sleep, it's great - I'm having a ball on mine. The fun for me is in doing the work. Do be warned tho - there is no such thing as a "cheap Vette". You can buy one for a low price, but by the time you bring it back from the dead, it will cost as much or maybe a bit more than what a running turn-key would have been.

Good luck, and by the way we love pics!

GUSTO14

Does the engine turn over, either with the starter or without by using a tool?

If you haven't already bought the car (?), and since the seller won't tell you anything about how it was stored, I agree with elwood. I'd buy an inexpensive (or expensive if you're inclined) bore-scope and remove some of the plugs (or all of them) and look at the cylinders. I would also use it to look behind the dash at the birdcage for signs of rust and corrosion.

Better yet, hire and expert with knowledge of these cars and have them look at it for you.

If you've already bought the car, post up some detailed pictures of the car and you'll receive all sorts of advice on how to proceed.

Good luck and welcome to the Corvette Forum... GUSTO

Railroadman

Since you are new here you may not have seen this. My seller was up front about the frame being bad (especially after a couple other buyers passed on the car). I was able to confirm that. Birdcage was good. I was able to get the price down because of the frame needing replacement. The car is "tired".

So fortunately, it was no great shock when we went to pull the old frame out from under the car and....

SJW

Looks like the perfect time to replace those pesky driveshaft u-joints.

Live well,

SJW

Railroadman

Not to hijack OP's thread, but.....

Bluestripe67

For your peace of mind, including your wallet, hopefully each is of concern, have a experienced C-2 person inspect the car. You can make a separate request here on a new thread. What you do not know about these cars can cause some serious buyers remorse. Dennis

Dan Hampton

Especially something that has sat for 30 yrs. The extent of damage to the frame and the birdcage could make it a throwaway. We have competent people on the Forum who can assist with an eval. Don't be shy to ask. I use them all the time.

roadster65

Hi Monte; in answer to your question, easiest way is to get some WD40 and spray it in through the plug holes - Cheers GV

Mr D.

Do not be afraid of buying a car that has set for 30 years in a garage. However, do be afraid of buying a 1964 Vette if you have no idea of what to look for during your initial inspection of said car. If the latter is true and you truly want to buy this car than have it inspected by someone who knows C2 Vette's.

morly1963

Post some pics
Good luck

emdoller

Wow!! At least you knew what you were getting. Thanks for sharing.

Ed

Rob_64-365

I think one of the things to consider is what the cost of getting it back up & running will be?
Gas tank, fuel & brake lines, cooling system, engine, carb, ignition, distributor rebuilds, any wiring issues, tires, trailing arm bearings, rubber suspension bushings, plus all of the unknowns, you can very quickly add up 10-15k and that's if you are doing the work yourself.

So if looking at a 30k car that you can drive maybe a year and $15k from now, would it be wiser to buy a running well sorted 64 for $45k car that you can drive today? I am years into rebuilding mine, and it ran fine when I pulled it apart for no reason other than a little clean up underneath. I do love to see them saved though, so keep us posted please!

GTOguy

As for the engine, try turning it over with a breaker bar on the balancer bolt. If it turns over, you are ok. If not, time to disassemble. You'd be surprised at how often long parked engines come back to life. Ten years ago, a friend and I pulled a '23 model T Ford Depot Hack out of a field where it had sat for 55 years up to the hubs. Some fresh gas and oil, and we had it running and driving that weekend. Still running to this day....Jay Leno actually drove it at the Monterey Historics back in 2013-2014!

Monte164

Thank for the reply. What are you considering the birdcage?

Monte164

Wow, that is a frame up restoration. Can I see the birdcage with a good flashlight?

Railroadman

Monte, if you look near the top of the page there is a red band with "user CP", "FAQ" etc. Click on "search", then when it opens click on "Advanced search".

When that opens, on the left type in "Birdcage" or whatever else you seek. On the right side is a list of all the forums - scroll down and hit "C1-C2"

Then click "Search now".

You will then be shown a list of various threads in the past which have this word in it. (you can narrow it down, back by that key word on the left, if you select the second option which is thread titles only, not sure how it is worded exactly).

We're all willing to help, but someone new comes along about every week and it's tough explaining the same thing over and over. Do a little homework and you will find many of your questions get answered before you even think to ask them.

And to start you off, the birdcage is the framework around the firewall, windshield, back behind the doors etc. They range from great condition to terrible. But as others have said, they are a MAJOR pita to correct and can easily make the difference between a car that's worth saving and only good for parts. I did not flinch at having to replace the frame on mine. (well, maybe just a tiny little flinch ) If the birdcage had been toast, I would have walked away.

Monte164

I'm talking about oiling the cylinders before I start the vehicle once I get it back to my garage.

Vette5311

Marvel mystery oil for the cylinders. It got the name for good reason. Good luck. Post some pics.