So here I go again not quite done with the last project so this is a little in the back burner but I really want to get her running and moving again.
The engine was stuck solid not even a little movement and everything is so rusty from I think mouse urine. But the more I look at this car I think it could have 22k miles not 122 there is not petal wear, not carpet, Or foot pad wear and good solid door hinges. I’d like to hear from you all what else may give me a clue as to true mileage.
So my 1st step unstick the engine. Is pulled the plugs and they all were very nice looking no rust and no carbon build up. Then I check the oil from the pan it was very clean and no water. I purée a mixture of acetone and atf in each cylinder and in the carb. After 3 days bumped with the starter and it spun!!!
I’m next going to get spark not there as of now.
It has a Dayco belt I have a picture of wondering if this was a factory belt or not anyone?
I’ll keep you all posted on this old Kitty she if she’ll purr again.
That belt would be a replacement. I also see several things on the engine that make me think the mileage is over 100K. A 23K engine would most likely still have the vacuum switch on the thermostat housing, also likely to still have factory spark plug wires. But they could have been tossed. The Holley carburetor is not factory, but in the quest for more power it could have been swapped. And be sure to get rid of the Glass Fuel filter.
I can’t say for sure what the mileage is on it. What ever it is you have your work cut out to bring it back. I do wish you all the best on this endeavor.
I know it’s wishful thinking but anyway it will be fun to see if it still has some spirit left in it. What carb would be correct for this some sort of auto lite?
The 100% mostly solid exhaust may just be due to the region it came from. Pull the valve covers. Even an abused car ran into the ground should have no sludge at 22k miles.
Congrats on your acquisition! Can’t wait to see your progress. It’s a rough one, but it’ll be sweet once you get it finished!
It is not my intention to be negative, but why someone would like to start up an engine that has been frozen without a totally disassembly and inspection is far beyond my imagination. Yes, you can very often make it start, but in many cases you will in the process also make severe damage to the internals of the engine and make a future rebuild even more expensive or in worst case impossible. A number matching block for a 69 Eliminator is in my opinion too valuable to jeopardize. Beside of that I wish you luck on the project.
I would say in that decrepit condition the mileage is immaterial. The car is in terrible condition. Any benefit of low mileage is offset by the damage caused by a combination of incompetent driving and long term lack of care. It needs every possible thing to be a viable car.
Buy the car, not the story. This one is bottomed out in value.
Another good place to see mileage is the undercarriage. A low mileage car is going to be pretty clean underneath, high mileage will show a lot of finish wear, nicks, dings, chips from road debris in the finishes. On my car I suspected my car saw a fair share of dirt roads based on the wear and tear on the underside along with dirt build up.
Based on what we see in the pictures it’s likely yours is in the 100k club like most but hey you never know.
Be careful with the engine, if it was stuck it’s quite possible the rings are rusted to the cylinder walls, even if you freed them up it could leave area of rust on the cylinder walls that will break a ring on start up. Would be a good idea to stick a bore scope down there and see what you can see as a precaution before trying to fire it up.
Nice barn find. Hope the Cat restores well.
So it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted but the old eliminator is making some progress.
Lots of rust repairs in trunk floor pans, 1 1/2 a quarter 1 quarter with several patches, and lots of dents: new hood, trunk lid, fenders, and a fair amount of work on passengers door.
But getting closer to paint I can’t wait to se this in fresh bright blue metallic which happened to be my favorite color.
I got the engine unstuck and running with new rings and a bit of head work work, runs well actually until I can get to a proper rebuild.
That is awesome. Jealous of the garage, the car, but not the labor ha ha.
Awesome! Keep up the great work!