I just wanted to thank those of you who responded to my earlier posting
inquiring about how to get a car which has been sitting for years
running again.
My situation was that I had the opportunity to buy what looked like a
great GT6. Problem was, I couldn't drive it or even start it since it
had been sitting dormant for seven years tucked away in a garage!
I've never given anything back to this list despite endless help, so
here's my chance. In case it helps others in a similar situation,
here's what I did, and it worked:
1- Remove all bicycles, snowboards, and animal bedding (natural or
man-made) from the top of the car.
2- Remove each spark plug and drizzle a little "Mystery Oil" (available
at Kragen/Shucks/whatever) in each cylinder. Let it sit for at least an
hour or two (some people suggested up to a week, others suggested auto
transmission fluid or motor oil, but Mystery Oil seemed perfect for the
job).
3- Be sure to fill the engine with coolant and oil if necessary. Empty,
wash out, and top up the coolant overflow bottle, which may have stuff
growing in it.
4- Fill carburetor dampers with oil.
5- Dump some "Sta-Bil" or similar gasoline stabilizer in the gas tank.
(Some people recommended emptying the gas tank and filling it fresh,
but then you have to dispose of a bunch of gas somehow. I figured as
long as the fuel filter was OK, it couldn't hurt to try with the old
gas).
6- Put a new battery in, since the old one will probably not take a
charge at this point.
7- Ensure the clutch and brake fluid is existent and topped up, press
the brake pedal and ensure that the brakes are working. Bleed both
systems if necessary.
8- Finally, when you're ready to start her up, spray some starting
fluid into the air cleaner, pull the choke out and start immediately.
Then drop RPMs as soon as you can so you're not joyously revving a dry
engine.
Voila! It worked on the first turn of the key. Amazing. The above is
just what others recommended, but it would have helped me to see all
that in one place. My main concern was not doing any damage to the
engine. It started smoothly enough and ran well, so I'll assume that's
the case! The above of course is just to get the thing running, you
probably want to change the oil, flush the cooling system, once you're
running. Now I won't get into the part about the shift linkage becoming
disconnected on the freeway on the way home or the horrible imbalance
of tires which have been sitting flat for years...
Thanks again, listers!
Steve
'71 TR6
'72 GT6, with broken/loose transmission linkage
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