jcakes

Ha...very fair point!

man, I'd sit outside with a beer and stare at that all day. Beautiful.

I agree with cny first gen 71, it can look nice, but the difference isn't worth the effort involved. I've always used Collinite 845 as my last-wax-of-the-fall coating to protect the paint from the salty roads over the winter. It's still not the easiest wax to use, but it's easier than ceramic in my opinion. Seems to last for months for me, and that's on my driveway-parked daily drivers. It's not expensive and a bottle will last multiple years. It won't fix the orange peel, but if you get the paint corrected and then do the Collinite, you'll be able to swim in that black hood.

Ooofa. No stop leak as far as I know...certainly not by me. Actually, aside from a little rust discoloration, it was pretty decent looking coolant. What are the nicks in the block around the F/O plug holes? I am assuming all of these plugs in mine are steel and possibly even original, since I never replaced them, so that makes them at least 25 years old. And if one is gone, I think I'll feel safer thinking the rest aren't far behind. This whole thing is going to be a slow process, so I'm OK with yanking the engine for a full freshen up, and replacing the freeze out plugs made that decision easier for me to make. I may just prioritize some suspension work while I've got the weight still in there.

I appreciate your input (and everybody's); it's me putting ideas out there and being able to talk them through and consider options and consequences that I wouldn't otherwise by myself. This car obviously had A/C at one point, but I got it sans compressor, so it was always a 4/60 system for me. I was also 17, so much more resilient (and broker) than I am now. It's not a decision I'd make lightly either way. I remember seeing a brake booster that was capable of being mounted lower on the firewall. This was also a long time ago and something I haven't put a ton of research into, but in my 20-years-ago mind, I wanted to drop the brake booster lower and ditch the A/C box and get that symmetry back that way. With the steering linkage and long tube headers, I'm not sure it's realistic though. Either way, I need to figure out where the coolant is coming from first, and move on from there. It continued to drain last night long after I shut her down. I'm thinking that the thermostat may have been stuck open as I didn't replace it and definitely didn't run it long enough to open it if it was good. It was a decent 50/50 mix too, so I'm hoping the plug just corroded out vs a deep freeze, especially since she was garage kept. Makes me worry about the others now too though.

Better than expected! After a 20 year slumber, she fired right back up and sounds like I just parked her yesterday. No knocks, ticks or clunks. A few seconds for the fuel to get through the pump, and it just idled like normal. So stoked. I do, however, have a major coolant leak on the passenger side. It's hard to see because of the starter, but I'm hoping it's just a freeze plug and not a head gasket. The oil is fresh, so I'll check that to see if it's contaminated at all. A preliminary 'feel-around' leads me to believe it was a freeze plug though, and I know I never replaced them. It's still in there, but the majority of the water felt like it was coming from around there and pooling in the plug itself and it didn't seem wet above that. Now I just need to figure out where to go next. Obviously the leak. Thinking I should freshen up the entire fuel system up to the pump. Suspension is absolute garbage and will need to be addressed before she's road worthy again, as well as brakes. LOTS of body work (rust, likely rear end hit from before I got her) and the wires...omg the wires make me insane. I'll need to trace and ID every one if only for my own sanity. And the A/C box. I'm not worried about A/C yet, and the box is in the way. I'd eventually like a clean firewall look, but will keep everything aside for if I change my mind. Thank you all for your help and words of support!

Real estate guy here...take me with a grain of salt. But it seems conservative? Based on your current setup and planned upgrades, will it seem a little too safe? Again though, I'm not an engine builder and have only gleaned what little knowledge I have from old engine building books and build shows, so I'm more or less trying to get this post to the top to move the conversation along and learn something myself. As someone running a 327, I hear you on being different! Good luck!

OK...this is what I'm learning elsewhere as well. Dropped the distributor back in place and all of my index marks lined up. Replaced some hoses and am going to pull fuel from a remote source like mentioned above and not even bother with the tank or old lines. Now it's just a matter of pulling it out of the garage and bribing a friend or two to come over and hold some fire extinguishers so I can turn her over with a little peace of mind. Thank you.

I'm back. It's been awhile and a snail's pace slog, but I'm getting there. Since it's been so long and I don't want to blow up the engine on the eventual restart, I'm in the process of priming the oil pump. I'm using and oil pump primer tool and have seen some signs of good results. I'm getting oil pressure and I've got the entire driver side bank to give me oil. I am NOT getting oil from the passenger side, with the exception of the #6 exhaust rocker. I read through the internet a little, and it seems like the offset on the priming tool makes a difference. I double checked it against my distributor, and the offsets look the same. What am I missing?

Not there yet. All the normal excuses...work, kids, other priorities. I'm still hoping to do this soon though. I'm itching to hear her again.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I removed the mechanism and tumbler. After I got the (3) bolts for the latch mechanism itself out, I felt that bar/rod and tried to see where it would go and what it would do by gently moving it around. In the process, the spring fell out but so did something else. It's kind of hard to see, but it looks like the backside of the tumbler broke. Not sure when, but the break itself looks like clean metal, so I wonder if I did it? I also tried the square key one more time to see if something was stuck in the tumbler, and it goes pretty far in. So in the end, this wasn't a properly functioning lock to one degree or another, but I'm still unsure if there's a key stuck in there. Perhaps this just widens the scope of 'when you can open the trunk from the backside' to include, the tumbler is broken in some way? When I finally get around to replacing the tumbler and mechanism, I will definitely try this again. Now I want to know for sure when it will and when it won't work and why.

What if it's an updated HEI/non-points distributor? Is this still a concern with a simple cap and rotor change? Either way, I need a timing light, so now seems like the time to get it.

I'm not a mechanic, so please don't take my question as doubting you, but, if I mark everything and reassemble it so that everything goes back in place just like it came out, that wouldn't effect timing, right? Thank you to everyone who has answered thus far. I really appreciate the hand holding during this. As for the fuel, it seems as though the effort outweighs the cost with the fuel system. My intent is to start it with a secondary fuel source just to establish that she'll run again. Once I've done that, my plan is to just replace the tank and fuel lines and start fresh. Also, this (the initial restart) will all happen outside, with a trusted friend/extinguisher operator and away from my house or other cars. I do appreciate the concern though...sometimes we overlook things in our haste and it's good to be reminded not to do so.

Now that I've got my car back, I'd like to hear her run again. It's been 20 years since this motor has run though. Other than a little fuel stabilizer (20 years ago), this car was parked in a garage in running condition and then left to sit. I'm working with a 327. Block #3858180, heads #3872461 (early 60's vintage camel-humps), Edelbrock electric choke 600cfm (P/N 1406). As far as I know, all of the internals are original (but ran great before she was parked). I haven't done anything yet but research. Here's what I think I'm supposed to do. Bar the engine over. I did this a few degrees just to see if it moved (and it did), but I haven't gone a full rotation yet to check for binding. Refresh the carb. The kit from Edelbrock was inexpensive, so I'm throwing P/N 1477 at it. Remove old spark plugs Give each cylinder a few mls of Marvel Mystery Oil New spark plugs Cap and rotor Change the oil Drain and swap out the coolant Replace thermostat Replace spark plug wires Prime the oil pump Replace the battery Have a charged fire extinguisher handy Let 'er rip? A few preliminary questions: How does this look for an order of operations? What would you add or subtract? How do I best get fuel to the carb without doing the inevitable fuel system rebuild now? Can I just run a line into a fuel can from the mechanical fuel pump? I'd like to get it up to operating temperature as well as long as it all sounds good. Should I disconnect the electric choke on the carb and how? Is it just a matter of removing the electric connection? I don't want to be turning too high of an RPM at first start, and I'm afraid that if the choke is in fact fully operational after 20 years, it's going to try and run the RPMs up. This is what I have so far, and I'm nearing paralysis from analysis. What have you done in the past that did or didn't work? What would you change? What am I overlooking? Thank you all again in advance for your help.

Hmmm...I'll have to try and remember to update when I figure it out. The lock cylinder isn't high on my priority list right now, so it may be awhile. With the whole square vs round key question, I tried the square one in the trunk lock for S's and giggles, and I didn't feel anything stopping me other than it wasn't the correct key. I don't remember it ever breaking off in there. It was functional when I drove it and AKAIK, no one else broke one off in there, but we'll have to see. It's been two decades after all...who knows!

*double post*

This did it! There was a lot of junk back there, some of which was in the way, making this a 2-handed/2-broomstick kind of job. Don't use too wide of a screwdriver...1/4" or so will fit. Also, in this video, it looks like it's just a slot. His is disassembled, so what you can't see is the rod to the back of the tumbler. In the screenshot above, you can see what the actual piece is, and below is what it looks like assembled. It's visible inside that slot and it jiggles. Other than that, the process was very straight-forward and exactly as this video described. Thank you for this! Also, I checked while I was down there. My square key only fits the ignition, not the doors or the trunk, fwiw.

No dice. Seat removal was a breeze, but the trunk is filled with crap. I think I can see where the tumbler is, but wouldn't even know what to do if I did in fact find it. Is there a spot I need to reach with a few extensions? Then what? I did, however, find a build sheet and paperwork from the original owner/purchase. The build sheet is toast though...dry-rotted and stuck in a place where I can't pull on it without making it worse. L65 350, A/C, 2.65 rear end is what I can make out. Is it possible to obtain a new copy of these anywhere? Where else do the build sheets hide?

Heading down now to give this the old college try.

Ha...true story! Short version: Car didn't run, had half a motor and was sitting for around a decade. Long version: Picture a cul-de-sac. I'm in the middle. Neighbor #1--two doors down on the left--bought the car new in 70/71. Drove it for awhile until Neighbor #2--two doors down on the right--got a hold of it about 10-15 years later as a teenager. Not sure how long he drove it, but he did put the Crager SS 5-spokes on it, jacked the rear end up with air-shocks (with the valve in the trunk), removed the heads and intake (no idea where they went), radio and the A/C. Also painted it the color you see above...body tag says it was Cortez Silver originally. Car sits again for about another decade. In that time, my old man and I talked daily about building a car, and I was a few short years away from getting my license and was getting itchy. Approached Neighbor #2's father and asked him about it. "If you can push it out of the driveway and into yours, you can have it for five bucks." were his exact words. Ran home, told the old man and we got to pushing. Mom comes home an hour later...super upset at first. Get a hold of a 327 with the camel-hump heads for cheap, mated it to the TH350 and drove her throughout high school. Went away to college in a seedy part of town, so she stayed home and in my folks garage. She left that garage less than 2 weeks ago and hitched a ride to where I live now after 20 years. Last time she ran was in 01/02.

I can't find my trunk key for the life of me and am wondering if there's any tricks to try before drilling it out?

Whatever you've got! I'm not a mechanic by trade, but am not shy in the garage either. I've never started one up after so long, so I'm literally googling "how to start a car after 20 years". She's been in a garage the entire time and the engine moves with a breaker bar. Everything is left as-is from when I put it away..."ran when parked". I very likely will, thank you, Rob. Very familiar with Carlisle and would love to get out there again. How's this for before? My ve ry first day with her, almost 30 years ago. I'll have to get some more uploaded. I'm intending on taking lots of photos and probably some video too. If nothing else, so I can go back and see how things came apart.

New guy checking in. I hope I don't make anyone here feel old, but I used to kick around these boards about 20+ years ago (unofficially, I think)...so, happy to see it's still going strong. I just got my baby back after 20 years. My very first car that I bought for five bucks. She sat for years waiting for time and money, both of which I've seemed to lose more of than gain in that time, but we're reunited either way. I'm in the Southeastern PA area. While I have awhile before she makes it to any meets, I'm excited to meet you all and glean from your knowledge. First order of business is reviving a 20 year old motor...