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K5dreamer

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lookin for a double check on my list of to do's today. my brothers friend came over the other day and asked if i could find time to help him get his dads car started. further questioning led to the fact that it was a 1966 Charger, that had been sitting in the garage for the past 30 years........ i feel like an archeologist finding buried treasure. its the 4bbl 383. all original. so im going over to check the basics. see what carb it has, drain the old gas (if its not all varnish at this point), do an oil change, yadda yadda. im thinkin ill need a new fuel filter, ill have to rebuild the carb, or at the very least hit it with gumout. flush the tank, im not really sure how to flush thee fuel lines, so suggestions would be appriciated.

im pretty sure that the differential gear oil is fine as is, im not sure about the tranny, im not sure if that fluid wil have to be changed, im not even sure if its a manual or automatic. i dont have a clue as to weather or not the brake fluid is still good, the coolant will have to be changed, and a flush probly wouldnt hurt. if it wasnt on jack stands hes definatly gonna need new tires. probly new brakes because of fantastic rust on the rotors (havent seen em yet, but come on, bare steel for 30 years), yadda yadda.

ive got a really good idea of what im doing, but any tips and pointers before i dig into this beautiful "barn car" without damaging it, would be greatly appriciated.
 
He should also replace the master cylinder and wheel cylinders. I have seen calipers live, but I would change them as well if it were mine. Drop the tank and take a look inside to check for rust. It will also make it easy to clean. At that point you can get to the lines to flush them as well. If the coolant level is good, you'll probably be ok there. If it is empty, check to make sure the water pump isn't frozen up. Also, pull all the plugs and put some oil in the cylinders. Let the oil sit while you are doing the other maintenance and then try turning the engine over by hand to insure that it is not locked up. It is safer than using the starter initially. That way if there is rust in the cylinders you have a better chance of breaking it loose without damaging the rings.
 
Make sure you turn the engine over by hand a few rotations to make sure nothing is seized up -- You don't want to swing that engine over and find out the hard way that the valve that has been open for the last 30 years is now stuck open, and have it hit the piston at 400 rpm as the starter cranks it over...

Next, pop the dizzy out, and turn the oil pump over by hand with a drill for a couple of minutes to get oil running through everything. It'd probally be a good idea to pop the valve covers off so you can confirm that the oil has made it to all the rockers.

Finally, put some light oil in the cylinders, then crank the engine with the starter to blow it all back out, that'll help to lubricate the rings etc.

Then, once everything seems good, put the distributor back in with new points, wires and plugs, and see if she'll fire!

I personally wouldn't touch the carb until after you've proven it doesn't work. I've fired up old trucks and stuff that were sitting in the field for 30 years doing this same procedure (after picking the mouse nests out of the intakes :doah:) and had them start on the original carb no problem. Usually just have to pour some gas down the carb, and hit the starter
 
Yes, but it can be ran on unleaded. Once roadworthy, hardened seats can be installed.
 
didnt even think about the unleaded gas problem, and the oil in the cylenders and cranking by hand are great tips, didnt even think about it. for the oil in the cylenders are we talkin motor oil? wd40? ill also recommend he address the braking system, although my only job so far as ive been asked is to get it started, but ill be sure he understands the risks of the brakes. and ill take the advice of leaving the carb alone unless i have to mess with it. especially seeing as im a FI guy ;)

thanks guys, ive worked on lots of chevy engines, but never one that had been sitting for this long.
 
I've always just given the engines a shot of WD40 a week beforehand, then give them a spoonful of a light oil that a guy would use for an electric motor or something.
 
as far as the diff, trans etc I personally would change ALL fluids but then I'd rather be safe then sorry. Definitely do the ff since who knows how gummed up that could be and for less then 10 buck its cheap insurance.
 
Unhook the fuel line from the pump. Give it a few LIGHT shots of compressed air. Use too high a pressure, and you can blow the filter sock off the pickup, inside the tank. Then, do the same with the line from the fuel pump to the carb.

I have resurrected and used motors that have sat for 10-12 years. Patience is the key to bringing them back to life, without hurting them.

Another tip. BB Mopars have no coolant passages in the intake manifold. Pop the intake, remove the steel gasket, and the cam will be exposed. Pour motor oil all over the camshaft and lifters.

The carb will be a Carter AFB. Looks alot like an Edel Performer

Be prepared to replace EVERY rubber component in the brake system.

Good luck. I would LOVE to be part of this project. All my early projects were big block Mopars.
 
so just compressed air on the fuel lines, check, i didnt think that would clear out the varnish, but ill rock it. and thanks for the tip on the intake removal, im doing a checklist off of all the advice im getting here. i didnt have a chance to get to the car because of a shotgun wedding and prerequesit bachelor party that came up, but im hoping to get to it next weekend. and yes, i will take pictures to document the fun :)
 
The air will clear out clogs and any thick stuff. Any small amounts of varnish attached to the walls of the fuel lines will be slowly removed by new fuel running through the line and trapped by the fuel filter. It would be a good idea to change the filter again withing 100 miles or so just to open it and see what is inside. This will give you a good indicator of what needs to be done in the future, if anything.
 
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