Hello, new first time forum user here. I have a 68 c3 that I inherited from my grandfather when he passed away. It's been at least 13-14 years since the car was last started. With me not being a car guru I was wondering if anyone could offer advice to getting it started properly. I'd like to point out it doesn't have the original motor which was the 427(original owner sold without the motor for some reason), according to my grandfather. But he put a 350 in it. And any advice on figuring out what kind of power that block has? The car needs some work. All brakes are going to have to be replaced. One reason my grandfather stopped driving it. Locked up on him and he never had time to getting to fix it. Any help would be appreciated!

 

Welcome to the Corvette Forum and sorry to hear about your Grandfather.

OH BOY....The MAIN thing I got out of what you wrote ...in regards to mechanical information is that the engine 'locked-up'.

Not knowing if the car is an automatic or manual...I would take the time FIRST OFF in verify if I can manually spin (rotate) the engine by using a flywheel turner tool...which is why knowing if it is an automatic transmission or not does make a difference.

DUB

 

I took that to read the brakes locked up on Grandpa.

 

Brakes are what locked up when he was still driving it. We had it running when he was still alive but when he passed away we didn't touch it again. It is a 4 speed manual though.

 

It was the brakes that locked up. And it's a 4 speed manual transmission. Sorry for the confusion. We had it started up when I was a kid and when he passed we never got around to messing with it again.

 

The brakes could be a bad master cylinder if all of them locked up or the proportioning valve if it's just both rears or both fronts. You could remove the lines to each caliper and manual spread the pads. You can still by remanufactured calipers from most auto supply chains for a good price.

The motor just needs the oil changed, the battery replaced and the fuel tank drained. Then you can either poor a little fuel down the carb throat and turn it over or you can pull all the plugs and squirt a tiny amount of marvels mystery oil in there and let it soak for a day, then manually turn it over before replacing the plugs and then pouring a tiny amount of fuel down the throat and turning it over. Good luck

 

It may not have been the brakes that locked up....Could have been wheel bearings....? I like the idea of pulling the plugs and adding some MMO to each cylinder as well.....Good luck and God bless your Grandfather.

Brian

 

my 68 sat for a lot longer than yours (30 years) but to get it started I did the following:


drained gas tank, replaced all rubber fuel lines.
pulled plugs put ATF in cylinders let it sit. turned over by hand first to make sure it was free. think I let it sit for 3-4 days. put new plugs in.
I had to rebuild the carb, as it leaked
as soon as my engine started, the fuel pump leaked, I had to replace it.
After it was running the first time, I replaced all ignition components.

 

There is a pad on the block at the front of the passenger's side head. There should be two stamps on the pad. One will identify the engine; the second will be the VIN derivative of the car the engine was originally installed in. Post both numbers.

 

if you need hands on help check with a local Corvette club

 

SORRY..I read through it rather quickly and it did not register that it was your brakes that had locked up.

I personally am not a fan of cranking an engine that has sat as long as this due to a 'dry start up'.

YES..I do have priming tool that can allow me to get the oil to circulate throughout the engine without have to turn the engine to do so. So..that is WHY that is my method of choice.

And what amazes me...in the countless engines I have started that were fresh rebuilds. The amount of time that oil pump is turning quite quickly and how long it takes for me to see any oil get to the FIRST rocker arm.

YES..I understand that this is not a fresh rebuilt engine...and I am sure that there may still be oil lingering in some components.....but...I have to err on the side of caution when I am dealing with customers engines. Removing the distributor and setting it back in and getting it cranked is not beyond my capabilities and not that hard to do.

DUB

 

An additional few comments

Where and how the car has been stored will have an effect. Mine was stored in a typical garage, ambient temperatures in New England. I did 'seal' the intake and exhaust to limit the amount of moist air that would make its way into the engine.

The engine was pulled giving me much better access that would have been the case with it still in the car.

I removed all the plugs, drained the oil, and then poured an industrial quantity of KROIL into each cylinder till it ran out the plug hole with the engine in a stand and one bank vertical.

I left it sit for a week.

Then I did the other bank, rotated to vertical and let it sit another week.

I removed the flywheel and replaced two of the bolts with longer ones, which permitted me to use a very long socket extension as a lever, and it turned over quite easily.

The cooling jacket/passages were all full of coagulated gunk.

I was particularly (perhaps needlessly) concerned about the valve springs as they had had no exercise for 34 years.

After rebuilding, we used an oil pump drive with an electric drill to run the pump until oil showed up 'everywhere' and 80 PSIG registered on the gauge.

This was repeated Saturday when it was first started.

ALL the plumbing in the car was replaced. Every component of the brake system was replaced. The gas tank was replaced. All this stuff had 'YUCK' in it.

Not knowing where you are located, perhaps the plumbing in your car is OK from a rust standpoint, but I'd be suspicious of the 'YUCK' aspect contained within.

In your case, not having real access to the flywheel, after doing all that I did with respect to lubing the cylinders, spinning the oil pump, etc, I'd put it in fourth and, with a few friends, rock the car back and forth. The complicating factor is that very likely there's been an accumulation of rust on the rotors, etc, and the brakes will be bound up tight. Maybe not - in the case of my car, only one wheel was so afflicted, but it prevented us from pushing the car...

Good luck - you are in possession of a family treasure!

 

Not trying to be rude, but how old are you? This is an excellent learning opertunity, with incredible amounts of how-to knowledge available, not just here, but the local library and -- possibly even better -- a local community college. If you were to enroll in a school program you would have people lining up to lend you a hand.
Hell, if you're close to any of us we'll line up to lend you a hand, a tool or three, a few saved for the future parts...
For a '68, a Chilton or Haynes manual would be a great reference. Wonderfully reliable car once you get it in order. Oh the fun!

 

Share your city of residence, there might be someone nearby that could offer some suggestions or look it over. Take pictures of everything you remove for reference when putting it back together. Post a few too!

 

I will as soon as I can this weekend. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the reference about the manuals. I'm 25 though. Currently in school for massage therapy actually.

 

Thanks! The car has been stored in a garage the entire time. Im from a little city right outside of Chattanooga, TN called Soddy Daisy. It's a pretty humid place. And the car has had a cover on it as well.