Finally running

[Jeff L]

I posted some info about a car that had been sitting for a few years. Some of that info might help you:

"I had a car in storage for over 4 years a long time ago and like yourself the tires were no good. (The car was stored outside on a concrete slab and covered, gas, radiator/coolant and oil drained out before storage) I replaced the tires and decided to do a brake job. Found the wheel bearings dried out or gummy and replaced and repacked them. Replaced upper and lower radiator hoses, all others looked ok. Changed transmission and rear gear fluid. Changed spark plugs and sprayed some oil into the cylinders before putting the plugs back on. Changed fuel filter, cap, rotor, plug wires. Added all the other fluids I needed. Turned the engine over a few times with the coil unplugged so it would not start. Was turning over ok and started it up. Drove good and after a few hundred miles I checked the fuel filter and spark plugs again to see if they needed cleaning or to be changed. I used it as my "go to work car" and it drove fine after its sleep!"

You do not have to do all of this at once, and some of this is not needed for your car, but it just might give you some ideas of what to do when time and $ are available.

 

[Texas82GP]

The smoke is probably water vapor in the exhaust. Have the radiator rodded or replace it. Get the car where you can get it up to operating temp and dry out the exhaust and burn the water vapor out of the engine oil.

 

[MrSony]

That white sh*t is probably just calcium and deposits that build up over time in any cooling system, especially since it sat for so long. If the coolant isn't green, change it. A new aluminum radiator is 150$ and less, so I'd get one of those and some new hoses to be safe. Some blocks have a bolt or a plug you can pull to drain the coolant out of the engine. Do that when/if you change the radiator. Completely fill the system with all new 50/50 GREEN coolant. Don't use that orange sh*t. If possible get a top radiator hose without a spring so you can "burp" the air bubbles out by squeezing and releasing the hose. If not, just leave the cap off the rad until the bubbles (if any) stop. Oh, get a new thermostat as well. 180, 195, whatever your car came with. Gasket too.

 

[Matthew Goeke]

The smoke is probably water vapor in the exhaust. Have the radiator rodded or replace it. Get the car where you can get it up to operating temp and dry out the exhaust and burn the water vapor out of the engine oil.

yea the radiator was leaking from somewhere and i couldnt see where, so i put some stop leak in, and it suprisingly stopped.

 

[Matthew Goeke]

does anyone know where i can get some decent lug nuts that wont strip? im pretty sure the last ones that were on the car were put on to like 150 lb ft because most of them lug nuts were getting ruined.

 

[Matthew Goeke]

sorry for spamming your notifications, but i recently made a google sheets showing the prices ive spent to get this car drivable.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU_79TFGkrR07Zq8f7frBhlONfabohDzYIHdcsMtwKg/edit#gid=0

 

[ck80]

On the lug nuts go to a local tire shop and they'll fix you up, around here chromed he heads run me about $1 ea plus tax, and they get the right seat type for the different rim styles I use.

Since you've started running the car you have a choice to make right about now. Keep it running on ethanol free (usually costs .20 to .30 cents a gallon more) or, use plain regular ethanol gas but change/plan on changing the rubber fuel lines between sending unit and first set of steel lines, then rubber lines between the first set over gas tank and the frame rail steel lines, then the rubber lines between the steel lines and fuel pump, followed by a carb rebuild including the float and accelerator pump diaphragm with a newer manufactured kit with ethanol resistant parts.