Hi- I've got a '72 Electra with 60k original miles. I've had the car stored inside for 3 years. I put stabil in the gas, and sprayed each cylinder with CD fogging oil when it was put away. Is there anything special I should do now before firing it up?
Mitch: - even though you put Stabil in the gas tank, cheap insurance would be to drain the 3-year old gas from the tank. I would disconnect the gas line and pump it clean too. Otherwise you may be faced with rebuilding a carb that is clogged with jellied gas. - Replace the filter(s) - do a basic tune up: new plugs, points, condenser, etc - check the rubber lines (vacuum in particular) for dry rotting: vacuum advance/retard and brake lines - check the air filter housing and the exhaust pipes for any signs of inhabitation by small critters of various ilk - charge or replace the battery - before starting the engine I would re-spray the cylinder walls and turn the crank manually to loosen up the rings if they took a set - then change the oil and filter - before driving it any distance, carefully inspect the braking system. It wouldn't hurt to drain, flush and refill the brake fluid - expect the exhaust to be a bit louder than it was -- rust never sleeps - expect the tires to have developed flat spots -- and since the rubber is at least 3 years old, I would strongly recommend replacing the tires. Check with the tire manufactures -- they say any tire over 5 or 7 years is dangerous and should be replaced. I probably missed something but this ought to get you going Craig
Craig gave you some good info. On the engine, after what he said, I like to spin it with the starter to be sure I'm getting full oiling before trying to start. Not long ago, a couple of us brought to life a '50 Dodge that had been sitting for 8 years. After doing the above, it started and ran well with the old gas-didn't smell very stale either!? I'm not too sure we could get away with that on today's fuels! good luck, and get a temp and especially an oil pressure gauge on that 225
Craig/Dan- Thanks for the info. I'd been storing the car during the winters only until 2001, but due to various reasons haven't been able to get it on the road since. Upstate NY is no place to have a nice car on the road in winter! I have a reman. HEI that's going on the car, and after searching the boards sounds like it should be recurved before putting it in. Other than that the cars been great. Had the timing cover off to replace the water pump (stripped bolts!) and replaced the rocker arms/shafts because they were noisy. Looks like I'll be spending a few $$ this Spring on tires etc.. Don
