Classic/Antique Car Repair: 1966 Thunderbird Fuel System, hard resistance, center bolt

Question
Dick, I just purchased a 1966 Thunderbird (390).  The car has been sitting in a garage since the early eighties and has not been started.  Should I go ahead and replace the tank, pump, sender etc... or are there ways to narrow down the parts replacements?

Answer
The gas tank, the carbuetor and the fuel pump, along with all rubber hoses in the fuel system will have to be replaced or rebuilt, but that is the easy part.  After sitting that long, there will likely be some mechanical problems in the engine - the engine may or may not turn freely, but even if it does, I do not recommend doing that, as the oil pan will have a layer of grit at the bottom of the pan, if you try to crank the engine, even if it will turn,the oil pump will suck up the grit from the bottom of the pan and circulate it throughout the engine, ruining the bearings very quickly.

You should drop the oil pan and clean it out.  While you are under there, take the oil pump down and clean out the inlet screen.  Spray oil liberally all throughout anything you can get oil to from under the engine, especially the timing case area and the cylinder walls.

Take the valve covers off and lubricate the valve rockers and push rods.   Remove the spark plugs and put a few ounces of engine oil in each hole.  Then, with a wrench on the crankshaft center bolt at the front of the engine, see if you can move the pistons.  Go slowly, and if you feel a hard resistance, stop - forcing it will break something.  The engine will have to come apart to troubleshoot it.  If you can make the engine turn, go at least 2 complete revolutions to exercise all the valve gear.

Now, you can put the bottom end back together (but if the engine has more than 100K miles, I'd check the bearing clearance while you are in there).  Change the oil filter and put fresh oil in it, and now run it on the starter (plugs still out) for a few 30 second cranking periods, allowing the starter to cool between sessions.   Now, you can put the spark plugs back in and attempt to start the engine without doing further damage to it.

If you get it running, keep a close eye on the temperature and the oil pressure - if anything seems wrong, shut it down and investigate before trying to drive it.

You can skip any of these steps if you want, but the consequences could be very expensive!

Dick