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Its been a while since I have been on the forum. I relocated 18 months ago, drove my 69 to the new home and turned it off. It had fresh oil at that time and ran well. I had no intention of leaving it sit that long but... I checked the battery before starting and found the tender had stopped working at some point. No big deal, I replaced the battery and the engine turns over very slow. I applied jumper cables to insure the new battery was up to full strength and it still turned over very slowly. (about half a turn and stop) I removed the distributor and ran the oil pump while jogging the engine a little at a time. I removed the plugs to help it turn more easily. I could then turn the engine while lubricating using the tool to run the oil pump. Even with out the plugs it still turns over slowly. could rust have formed from condensation on the internals? I have let this car sit for up to 6 months before with no issue. I don't want to continue running the starter unless I lubricate the cylinders. Ideas?
I would first check both ends of both battery cables to be sure they are tight and clean and then the cables themselves for corrosion under their insulation. If all checks out, have the battery tested under load. It doesn't matter whether it's new or not. It's probably something simple and I wouldn't be concerned with internal rust. Always do the simple tests first. Good luck.
Battery connects will explain the starter but if it's hard to turn by hand with the plugs out, you may have rust. That navel myster oil down each hole will loosen it up but it won't cure low compression from scratches or rust pits. If you're near the ocean or humidity, almost every cylinder has a valve open.
My 68 and 69 were in a storage warehouse for three years. When I went to start them with a fresh battery, the engines spun quickly. Both cars blew a lot of white smoke for a while...I think the rings were not initially seating.