Bought a 74 corvette that hasn’t ran in over a year. Took some work but did run some before that, but has just been sitting in garage due to other other life obligations. Now able to put more time and finances into it to get it going. Any advice on where to begin? Draining fluids and refill? If so, where would you go from there? Any and all advice Appreciated

 

Check condition of the oil and change it. Water/antifreeze level check. How old is the gas, at least a year old, may have to get it out of there. How are the plugs, might want to check some/all. Bleed brakes, what's the fluid look like in the master cylinder. Battery of course, how old, holding charge? Have CCA checked on it. Others will chime in and fill in the gaps. Good luck.

 

Have been working with a neighbor who has experience. Have been able to jump off another vehicle and have been able to get a crank after Spraying starting fluid and manually squirting some gas in carberator, But it won’t hold and goes dead. Neighbor thinks fuel pump needs replacing. Most of the gas in the tank has sat for over a year with minimal times being cranked. Would we have been able to get a short crank like we did, if the gas was bad? Just trying to eliminate stuff

 

Yr old gas should fire but may have difficulty. Id throw a fuel pump at it anyways, dont want fuel getting into your oil.
Once you get it runing ck the carb for fuel leaks and make sure the thermostat isnt stuck shut

 

To reach the bolts holding the fuel pump, jack and remove the passenger side tire.

 

The learning curve is long and is different for each Corvette. I have a 1968 C3 (the first year) with it's 427 and 4 speed. When I bought it back in 1991 nobody liked the 1968 Corvettes. Today more people are seeking them out as they are easy to work on with tons of room under the hood. With the 427 I can change all 8 spark plugs in less than 1/2 hour all from the top of the engine. I love the brutal simplicity of the design.

I would remove all of the gasoline in the tank and fill it with fresh gasoline. I would also do the engine Oil, Coolant, Power Steering fluid, brake fluid. Every fluid should be changed to be safe. All belts should be changed out as well to avoid breaking while driving. I ended up replacing a lot of the rubber suspension parts and over the years it has made the car fun to drive. After 29 years I need to replace the body weatherstripping on the chassis and the hard top.

When you get ready to start the Corvette for the first time you might want to remove the distributor and spin the oil pump with an electric drill. This gets ~30 psi of oil flowing through the veins of the engine. Before starting you might want to put some light oil in the cylinders. I do this every year when I bring our 1968 C3 out to protect the insides of the engine. Be SURE that the oil you are using is made for Flat camshafts of the old days.

Most important tool to have available is a Good working Fire Extinguisher so you don't have any accidents. I hope that is it a smooth start for you and that you have no problems getting your Corvette to run!

My wife and I have our 1968 C3 that we purchased 29 years ago, it still makes us smile as we drive it. I hope you can get to enjoy the whole Corvette Lifestyle!