Porsche Repair: 356 Hasnt Been Started, john rush, martini shaker

Question
Dear Sir,
   This Monday I am likely to be the newest member of the 356 family. An older guy is selling me his 1963 356 S. He says that the car hasn't been driven in about 4 years and I wanted to see how to go about this intitial startup without breaking anything that hasnt been broken yet. Any ideas? Thank you for your time and I really appreciate your help.
                Sincerely,
                John Rush

Answer
Hi John,

You are a very fortunate fella...a '63 356...very cool. So I assume by your description of the car as a 356 S that it's a 356 B rather than a 356 C, right?  And you've got 4 wheel drum brakes, right?

The primary issue is whether the pistons will move freely in their respective cylinders.  There are a lot of other concerns as well...but the pistons and their willingness to pist (from the verb to pist)...should be the place to start.  Remove the spark plugs and find a way to squirt carb cleaner through each open spark plug hole.  It would be preferable if the spray was dispersed evenly around the circumference of the piston's top.  If need be, spray the carb cleaner into each hole and then turn the car upside down and shake it like you'd shake a martini shaker. This will help distribute the fluid more evenly.  After you've drenched each cylinder
completely, grab a large wrench that fits the crankshaft nut in the engine compartment.  It's the nut holding the lower pulley and it's,
located below the generator pulley in the engine compartment.  After removing the generator belt, place the wrench on the nut and turn the nut clockwise through as many revolutions as your arms can perform.... After you've rested, start over...more drenching, more turning until the crankshaft spins smoothly through its complete revolution.  Drain the engine oil and any residual carb cleaner.

Anything less than a smooth turning crankshaft probably indicates rust in the cylinders and a rebuild.

I'd act as if the car needed a complete tune-up (new plugs, points, condenser), fluids  replacement, brake drum inspection, etc.  This I'd do with any new car just so I know how fresh everything is from the very start.

As for the carburetors, they are no doubt gummed up with dried gasoline (don't forget the gas tank is likely contaminated with dried fuel as well) and they could use a rebuild...or at a minimum some checking to see if the accelerator pumps are functional.

If you are happy with what you find, and you want to actually start your new toy...go ahead and use the starter to turn over the engine without installing the sprk plugs yet...to try to get oil pressure to build up.  Go ahead and use the entire battery charge to prime the oil in the engine.  Then, while you're re-charging the battery, refresh all the light bulbs in the car, rebuild the wheel cylinders, check the air in the tires, put in some new spark plugs, and fire her up!

And if you are conscientious enough to baby your new 356 just as I've suggested...the 356 family welcomes you with open arms!

Dave