Advice on getting an old truck running

[76k5blazerr]

My buddy and I are gonna try and get his 74 c30 running next weekend, I think I know what all needs to be done but wanted to get input and see if I'm missing anything... Has a 350/sm465, been sitting for 5-10 years, was running and driving fine when parked. Here's what all I'm thinking to get it running.

-Clean/rebuild carb (q-jet)
-new oil and filter
-New spark plugs and wires
-While plugs are out, soak the cylinders in wd40
-Gonna use a gas can with a gravity feed line to the carb so dirty fuel lines/tank/bad fuel pump won't be an issue
-turn motor over a few times by hand before cranking
-new battery obviously

And here is some maybes that I was wondering if should be replaced before trying to crank

-starter
-coil
And that's about all I can think of.

Tall let me know what you think, and any advice you might have, let me know if I'm missing something.

 

[brans87]

Think I would pass on starter and see how it does on old one and see if you have a good coil laying around before going out and spending $ on it but that's not a bad idea there. Take some coolant just in case you plan on letting it run a bit.

 

[76k5blazerr]

Cool, anybody else got any input, tips?

 

[paratrooper307]

I've heard Marvel Mystery oil is a good choice for the rings, let it soak overnight before turning the engine over.

Check over all the wiring, depending on how it's been stored the rodents could have gotten at it, and wiring problems are better addressed before you apply power to the system.

Sounds like you have the rest of the basics covered. Good luck!

 

[diesel4me]

I'd try turning the engine over by hand first,to ensure the rings didn't rust to the cylinders and seize it--or no valves are sticking...This is important!..
It never hurts to put some Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders either--worst that will do is make a lot of smoke...just dont fill them too full,or it could hydrolock and bend a rod..a few teaspoons is plenty..
I wouldn't use WD-40 alone,its not a good lube,it is great for displacing water though..

We ruined some "known good" engines at the junkyard after letting them sit too long, and just threw a battery in the vehicle and tried firing them up after checking the oil..the ones that spun over that had stuck valves,a few survived and the valves eventually freed themselves up after the engine was run awhile,but others had pushrods bend,or valves kiss the pistons...

Also a few that fired right up and seemed to run sweet for a good half hour,later suffered extreme damage and or seizure from the old oil we "thought" looked nice on the dipstick,that in fact had turned into some gooey sludge/water mixture at the bottom of the oil pan,that got sucked up into the pump screen and blocked it..if we had pulled the pan and cleaned it first,or just filled the crankcase with diesel and flushed it out,they probably would have survived fine..

I recently started my van,that has sat 12 years and was only started maybe 3 times so I could move it and run only a half hour or so...it still fired right up and sounded good ,to my surprise,but I probably did it no justice not dumping the oil and putting fresh oil & filter on it first...I was lucky no mice built nests in the engine or exhaust system also,I have a few feral cats hanging around to thank for that!..

My Burb has not been started more than 3 or 4 times in the past few years,but it starts and runs good still,I guess diesels dont go to crap sitting as fast as a gas engine will,with no carb or ignition parts to go south from sitting idle..

 

[76k5blazerr]

Thanks, so I'm hearing a no on wd40... I'll go get some marvel mystery, I know that's good stuff. Does it come in anything like those old school oiler cans with the hand squeeze pump thing? Or do they come with a straw, I'm trying to think of how I'm gonna get the oil through the spark plug holes.

 

[diesel4me]

Marvel comes in plastic bottles now,the best way to get it into the cylinders is an old pump type oil can...maybe you could use a gear oil bottle nozzle if it'll fit the Marvel bottle's threads..a squirt bottle like dishwashing liquid or spray cleaners come in would work too,but you'll spill some..
Wd-40 is OK,I just wouldn't use ONLY Wd-40...you need some lubrication as well as water displacement..

We used a teeny funnel we made out of an old vacuum advance canister by grinding the seam on a bench grinder until the two halves come apart--the half with the nipple for the vaccum hose works pisser for filling a dry carb up through the air bleed vent,the nipple fits perfect in them--and you can use a hose on the nipple to put the oil in the cylinders..

 

[1965gp]

You have the basics covered- I have bought several motors back to life with this process:

- Pull old plugs, fill cylinders with Mystery oil. Reinstall plugs. Let it sit a 3-7 days
- change oil with Valvoline VR1 race oil (with zinc since hydraulic lifters) and new filter
- pull old plugs.
-turn motor over by hand with plugs out; then crank motor with coil disconnected (still with plugs out). This will help get some oil flowing through this pushrods to valve train and push out all of the Marvel mystery oil.
- once most of the mystery oil is out install new plugs (and wires if avail- just do one at a time to not flip wires).
- connect coil and fire up- might need starter fluid. It will smoke from oil left in cylinders but that will clear up quickly.
- sometimes now it is necessary to add Motor flush and let run for a few minutes to warm up.
- change oil with VR1 again after you have oil flowing through system.
- let it run for about 20 min- change oil for a 3rd time - should be good to go.

Don't forget to check Trans and pwr steering fluid as well as coolant.

I know this is a lot of steps but it has worked very well for me on my last few projects. In fact I just did this to my wife's 73 Blazer that had been sitting outside for 12 years and it worked well.

As mentioned look at the carb and be prepared to fix some wiring issues.

 

[76k5blazerr]

So we went out to his farm today and worked on the truck, here's how it went. Got new plugs and wires on, cleaned the motor up a little bit, turned it over by hand, then put a battery in it and turned the lights on just to see if we had any power, all the lights came on. Then we tried turning the motor over and it was kinda like a pop, we heard the starter try to engage then there was a pop and now the truck has no power. I think it's a blown fuse able link... We tried bypassing the one at the junction block but that didn't change anything so we ruled that one out, the only other one I know of is at the starter, we didn't get to check that one cause we ran out of time but I'm thinking it's the culprit. I'm looking for advice on what my be causing the power loss and what to check/replace... Let me know yalls thoughts.

 

[rampage]

I think it's a blown fuse able link... We tried bypassing the one at the junction block but that didn't change anything …

There's a reason there's a fusible link there and if it blows then it should never be bypassed or you could damage the electrical system beyond that or worse start a fire, especially in a truck that hasn't been started in a long time. Rodents tend to love wire insulation and steal it for their nests, they don't care about the safety of the truck. The proper way to check for a blown fusible link is with a multimeter. If you don't have one then get one or don't mess with electrical. A multimeter is a tool you should invest in and learn how to use.

I will step down from the podium now ….

 

[76k5blazerr]

I should have been more specific, we didn't bypass it with a piece of wire, we put a fuse holder I had in my truck in there where the link was just to see if we could get any power, I know if we did get power the fuse would have blown but it was a way to isolate the problem without frying anything. I was checking wires with my test light and the junction block did have power, even when nothing electrical on the truck was working. Do you think it's the one at the starter? I checked out the rest of the wiring under the dash and in the top of the engine bay and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

 

[1965gp]

I would start at the starter and work back with a test light. You should have power to the main lead from batt, see if you get anything on the S terminal when you crank it. Also you can see if you have power running to the coil when the key is in the on position. Possible the starter took a crap, also the wiring is old and brittle. You very easily could have broken a wire or separated an old splice in the wiring harness by moving something which is why I would start at the starter and work back. Can you describe the sound you heard a little better? Lots of things it could be- you are asking metal parts to move together with very little if any oil- it may make some noise initially.

You could hook a starter button to the starter s term and pos batt term and see if it cranks- shouldn't hurt anything cranking it for a few sec.