The project car is getting closer...

[nhdoc]

Well, my latest "adoption" is a 1964 220Sb in Papyrus White which I rescued from a barn up north after sitting dormant for nearly 20 years. Some work had been done on it in the spring of 2006 by the former owner's mechanic but there was still a lot to do. So far I have fixed:

Wipers (Rusted Frozen)
Cleaned out the Carbs
Removed Resonator in exhaust (Rusted through), replaced with straight pipe.
Blower (Switch Bad, needed repairs)
Windshield Gasket Replaced (Held in by Electrical Tape)
Complete Front Brakes and all 4 flex lines (waiting for one last caliper due in Monday)
Front Subframe Bushings
Thermostat/Coolant Flush (Last person in there JB-Welded the housing together - that was fun)
Tightened both belts
Both rear outside door handles repaired (Bottons had popped out and would not press in)
Fuel Gauge (Dirty contacts at plug)
Various lights burned out, replaced
Tightened up loose/leaking connections throughout
Waiting for new pneumatic grease gun to grease all those fittings!
I know there's more but I have forgotten.

With any luck and if I have the right parts in tomorrow the car should be driving by Turkey Day. It runs very well now that I set the timing (the dizzy was loose when I first ran it and there were backfires a plenty). I drove it briefly before I removed the front brakes and it shifted well up to 3rd gear but I resisted the temptation to go above 30MPH until the brakes were fixed.

Amazingly just about the only accessory item which worked without needing attention was THE CLOCK!

The whole car needs some good cleaning up after it is declared roadworthy but it is sure getting close now. Interior needs some work and new carpet but that can wait till spring.

[MunichTaxi]

That an engine that is dormant for 20 years runs again.
When you first turned it over (by hand?) were any pistons stuck?

[nhdoc]

Originally Posted by MunichTaxi

That an engine that is dormant for 20 years runs again.
When you first turned it over (by hand?) were any pistons stuck?

Well...the thing is I wasn't the first to turn it over...the PO did and he did it before I got there. Apparently no damage was done however. Actually, the story goes that the car actually ran OK in the spring of 2006. At that time he had a mechanic drain the tank and clean it out, he apparently replaced some hoses and the fuel pump and did a tune up and some other minor work then he probably got tired of being "drained of cash" by the mechanic and gave up. So, the engine was really only sitting since 2006 though I think it was only used very little at that time as the front brakes were pretty locked up. I'm guessing the tech told him prepare to put another $1000 or more into it for brake work and that's when he quit.

The small amount of gas that was in it when I got there was enough to fire it up and see it run before I bought it. I'm sure the engine is fine though since it starts great and idles stronger than my other '64 did.

It would be nuts to pay someone to bring this beast back from the grave. I've probably got 30 hours in it already with another 5-10 left before it will be drivable. Even at $50 an hour the PO would have been looking at $2500 to $3000 with parts to get it back on the road which is about all it is worth in its current state. I did it because I couldn't stand to see it sitting like that...at least if it is drivable it has some use to someone.