How to get my dad's old pickup running?

[_Ish_]

Hey everybody!

My dad passed away awhile ago and left me his 1950 Chevy pickup. Due to some familial issues, it has been sitting still for about 10 years. I will be going back home for next week and would like to get it running again if possible.

Can someone please tell me how to do the most basic maintenance to get it running. My cousin might be able to do some simple prep work such as pouring oil into cylinders the day before but it is just as likely that he won't. I will only have one day to work on this. I don't necessarily need to be driving it around. I just want to ensure it is running.

Ten years is a long time for it to be sitting around and I would have taken care of this sooner but family issues have prevented it.

I should say that I am competent with my hands but not mechanically inclined.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

[mikebte]

Oil, Oil Filter if it has one, Clean out the fuel lines and fuel tank, some tanks get rust build up and the only fix is to clean the tank or replace. Most likely an oil bath air filter, so some cleaning will be in place. The old carb will need rebuilt, some still work, mine did not. Consider a rebuild. I swapped mine for a Cater carb. You will most likely be able to clean the points and set gap using a match book or business card.

If it s 6 cylinder, you can remove the plugs and put a touch of oil in each cylinder and turn the engine over by hand using the fan blades. Coolant flush will also be in order. The 6 Cylinder will need a valve adjustment and sometimes new valve springs. I would almost bet one of the valves is a little sticky from being pushed down over the last 10 years.

More folks will chim in with much other stuff I forgot, So much fun working on the old trucks.

[MiraclePieCo]

First step: fresh gas, preferably non-ethanol ("clear"). If you just want to fire it up quickly, you can run a temporary line out of a gas can. Have some starting fluid handy; if nothing else, it helps you determine if the failure to start is a fuel issue.

And yes, as mikebte said, it will be unbelievably rewarding when that old girl comes back to life!

PS: Engines that have been sitting typically run poorly for awhile - sticky rings, dried gaskets, etc. In my experience, as you drive them the rings free up and they start to run better and better.

[_Ish_]

Thanks!

The battery has been charged by a friend but other than that, it's just been sitting.

I figured on changing the oil but forgot about the filter. I'll have to pick one up. From what I understand, there should be a nut at the bottom of the gas tank that will allow me to drain the old gas.

Hadn't thought about starter fluid either, so I'll get some.

A friend told me something about pouring oil into the cylinders and letting it sit for a day or two. My cousin might be able to do that for me before I arrive.

Attached are 2 pictures of the engine. Don't know if it'll be informative but I figured I would give as much info as I can.

[MiraclePieCo]

Don't POUR oil in the cylinders - it could hydrolock your engine (oil doesn't compress and can bend rods, etc). You can use a fogger to mist the cylinders, but no more oil than that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolock

That thing is clean and looks ready to run! Change the fuel filter for sure.

[_Ish_]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

Don't POUR oil in the cylinders - it could hydrolock your engine (oil doesn't compress and can bend rods, etc). You can use a fogger to mist the cylinders, but no more oil than that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolock

Glad I mentioned that because someone had told me to pour in oil, throw a towel over the engine, and turn it over. None of that makes sense to me, but again, I am not knowledgeable about this stuff.

[franken]

If you just want to make sure it runs, and not for long I'd simplify things. First, a 10 year old battery is no good. Buy a few spray cans of B12 from the parts store.

Block the wheels and put the trans in neutral.
Pull the plugs and shoot some oil in the cylinders.
Check the oil.
Change the oil if desired.
Verify the engine can be turned by hand. Grab the fan and turn it in the direction that would make the fan draw air through the radiator. If a fan blade pointing up looks sort of like this \ turn the engine to your right while leaning over the radiator. Turn it at least 2 full 360* rotations.
Verify the throttle on the carb works freely.
Crank the engine w/ the plugs out
Put the plugs back in and attach the wires correctly.
Crack the throttle and shoot some B12 in it. Not much just a few seconds.
Crank it.
It should fire a bit if there's spark.
If it doesn't fire check spark. I'd probably take the cap off and run a few thicknesses of paper between the point contacts.

You can run the engine by having someone fire it and misting B12 into the carb with the throttle blade open a bit. Or you can rebuild the carb, flush the tank and lines, replace the filter and so on.

[Robert Crandall]

After 10 years you can count on having no brakes. Before jumping or changing the battery check - if it is still original wiring it may be 6 volts positive ground.

[gigamanx]

I'd be nervous trying to start that. Looks like the casing on the wiring might be past its age too. Looks about as good as mine when I started it. I literally attached the battery straight to the starter so I wouldn't burn anything up. Check for a 12v conversion just in case it doesn't have one and you go hooking up a fresh new 12v battery.

[_Ish_]

Thanks everyone for all of the advice.

Just a couple things about the condition the vehicle is in: the truck was restored over several years by my dad and his father-in-law who owned a body shop. If there is anything that could have corroded over say 15 years, then it's probably shot. But everything else should be in good shape because they entered this in parades and such. So it was running regularly.

I guess I shouldn't say my overall goal in so short a time is to get it running, rather I just want to prevent any damage that can occur from sitting for so long. Having said that, it'd of course be fantastic to get it going. But I'll only have a day to work on it, so I'm just trying to do what I can.

[mr48chev]

As far as putting "oil" in the cylinders a few squirts of Marvel Mystery oil (available at O'Reilly's and most other parts houses might be best. No matter what you squirt in the cylinders you want to crank the engine over with all of the plugs out for short periods a few times before putting the plugs in. That will hopefully blow any excess oil out while letting the cylinder walls get lubed a bit at the same time.

Absolutely drain the old gas an it will probably smell like varnish. I've got a truck out here with a tank in the bed that has old gas in it that you can smell the varnish ten feet away on a hot day. I'm not going to use that tank again but what used to be gas will get poured on the burn pile.

Changing the oil is advisable along with the filter but I wouldn't use high detergent oil unless you know you dad did. There may be a quart of the oil he used somewhere in the truck that would let you know what the truck wants used in it.

The carb will need rebuilt before you actually drive it but if you use a small container to gently pour gas down the bowl vent tube of the carb you can fill the float bowl and should be able to fire up the engine and run it for maybe 30 seconds or a bit longer. I've started engines hanging from chain hoists that way in the past along with starting one sitting on a tire out here in the driveway. That should give you that "yup it will run" feeling.

As far as the points, as long as they aren't corroded on the contact surface (you can take an emery board and buff them a bit) and they open and close right I wouldn't do anything with the until I did the whole tuneup thing later. If it doesn't need changing don't change it right now.

Good luck, give us a report and have fun with it.

[_Ish_]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

As far as putting "oil" in the cylinders a few squirts of Marvel Mystery oil (available at O'Reilly's and most other parts houses might be best. No matter what you squirt in the cylinders you want to crank the engine over with all of the plugs out for short periods a few times before putting the plugs in. That will hopefully blow any excess oil out while letting the cylinder walls get lubed a bit at the same time.


The carb will need rebuilt before you actually drive it but if you use a small container to gently pour gas down the bowl vent tube of the carb you can fill the float bowl and should be able to fire up the engine and run it for maybe 30 seconds or a bit longer.

As far as the points, as long as they aren't corroded on the contact surface (you can take an emery board and buff them a bit) and they open and close right I wouldn't do anything with the until I did the whole tuneup thing later. If it doesn't need changing don't change it right now.

I understand what some of this means but I'll have to look into what you're talking about with the carb. I can't even identify it.

What steps do I need to follow for removing the plugs, spraying mystery oil, and cranking the engine? Am I cranking the engine by turning the fan?

[mikebte]

Your right on. Remove the plug wires, remove the plugs. Add in your lubrication of choice. Couple small squirts. Leave the plugs out of the engine while you use the fan blade to turn the engine over.

Some times the fan will spin and the engine will not, adding a little tension to the belt should allow the engine to turn with the fan. You can also turn the engine over by hooking a tool to the crank shaft if needed.

You may notice a little resistance, this could be due to a valve in the down position. If you remove the valve cover, you will be able to see what valve spring has not returned. maybe a few taps with a hammer can free it up.

Also, make sure it is in neutral. Makes the engine easier to turn over. "ask me how I know?"

[_Ish_]

Originally Posted by mikebte

Also, make sure it is in neutral. Makes the engine easier to turn over. "ask me how I know?"

Haha. Yeah, I know a whole lot through that process...

Will just doing that keep the truck from damage until I can come back to it in a year or so and spend a proper amount of time tinkering on it? I really do want to head out there and for a week seeing family and messing around on it but right now my priority is to prevent any damage it may incur from long term storage.

I wouldn't have even thought about the passage of time doing real damage until a friend told me that the engine could seize if left for too long.

[franken]

Make sure nothing can crawl up the tailpipes, or down the carb, and put it in a dry environment. The carb is the thing under the hatlike thing sticking up on the driver's side of the engine. If you can't ID a carb it's best not to touch anything--sorry. The internet has a million videos you can use to get the basics.

[nvrdone]

how far is the truck from Portland? since your time is limited, I might suggest you get a uhaul truck & car trailer & haul it back to Portland. then you can work on it as time permits & not be rushed.

[oldbritishcarnut]

Originally Posted by nvrdone

how far is the truck from portland? Since your time is limited, i might suggest you get a uhaul truck & car trailer & haul it back to portland. Then you can work on it as time permits & not be rushed.

x2

[mikebte]

Originally Posted by nvrdone

how far is the truck from Portland? since your time is limited, I might suggest you get a uhaul truck & car trailer & haul it back to Portland. then you can work on it as time permits & not be rushed.

I did this, was a fun trip, lucky the E brake was still working when it cam off the trailer.

[_Ish_]

Originally Posted by nvrdone

how far is the truck from Portland? since your time is limited, I might suggest you get a uhaul truck & car trailer & haul it back to Portland. then you can work on it as time permits & not be rushed.

Portland OR from Eastern SD. I'd consider hauling it out but I can't even find parking for my motorcycle, let alone a vehicle to work on. Plus it's illegal to work on the streets out here.

Yeah, if I had the time I would spend a week out there watching Youtube and messing around. But my primary goal is to make sure it doesn't get screwed up from sitting there.

Thanks for all the advice!

[pvienneau]

Portland? ME or OR

[dsraven]

if you only have a day to work on it and can't simply get a car hauler then I would suggest to label the plug wires so you know which one went where, remove the plugs, squirt some oil in each cylinder and then turn the engine over by hand with a wrench or the fan blades. block the wheels and put it in neutral for this job. then install the plugs again. if it has been sitting for a bunch of years worrying about some of the other stuff is just that, worrying. another year with the old gas in it isn't gonna hurt anything more than it already has. you could change the oil but, really, it's been in there all this time and it isn't getting started up anyway by the sounds of it. if it was just sitting for a year then different story. lubing up the cylinders will do more preventative then spending time trying to get it running and finding out you wasted your time because it needs a carb job, fuel tank removal and cleaning, some new fuel line, etc. if you only have a day try to do some stuff that will make a difference. lube the stuff that you can, door hinges and latches, hood hinges and latch, engine cylinders etc. take the vacuum after the inside, looking for mouse nests etc. clean the cowl vents and ensure the drain at the bottom of the cowl is clear (you can see it from the underside behind the fender, it will have a small hole at the bottom sometimes with a piece of tin partially covering it). seal up anywhere that a varmint could get in, including the tailpipe, ensure the windows and doors are closed when you leave. these trucks have a cowl design that tends to plug up with pine needles or leaves etc and then the rain water will build up and come through the kick panel vents onto the floor and rust stuff out. the cowl drains are an important thing to check unless it is parked inside.

[rgunlock]

Couple things I'll add. If the carb isn't already all gunked up from gas sitting in the bowl, don't leave any gas in the carb when your day of tinkering is done. Might also get one of those antifreeze testers and make sure your coolant is good for another year.