Cars that sit awhile.

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Kern Dog

Build your car to handle.
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I know that I’m not the only one like this.
Car guys will sometimes have more than one of the cars they like. I’ve seen it across all models of cars too… VW dudes that have 4 Beetles and a van, Ford guys with two Mustangs and a Torino.
We Mopar guys do it too.
This often means we have cars that sit awhile between drives.
My 72 Duster sits….

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This car was bought in 2007 for my out of state brother in law when he was 22. He wanted to get into the Mopar game so I put out the feelers and found this… slant six, three on the column drum brake with a dead engine and rust. Over the next 3-4 years we (Mostly ME) swapped in a 360 from a van, 904 from a junkyard, FMJ discs, B body 8 3/4 and some new parts too.
Then, he lost interest in cars so I bought him out.
This poor car sits and sits.
It runs strong though. It will spin both tires 50 feet or more on dry pavement and handles pretty good too. The brakes are the best of any A body I’ve owned.
Still, it sits and because of that, the fuel system takes a beating.

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It has the common Holley 600 4 barrel but after sitting, it gets gunked up. It looks clean because I did have it rebuilt 2 years ago but since it sat again, it drips fuel down the throat when running and pukes gas from the front vent tube.

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I’ll need to go through it again. This time, I’ll do it. I’ve rebuilt Holleys before. I got lazy. I had a guy at a carb rebuilder shop do the work in trade for some parts I had that he needed. It saved me time but in the process, my skills went unused and I’m out of touch.
I need to find some of that carburetor solvent to soak these parts in. The local parts stores tell me they can’t get the good stuff here in California. I may have to go to Nevada.
What brand and type of solvent do you guys recommend?
I have a few carbs here I’d like to rebuild so I need more than a one gallon can of this stuff.

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Yeah, I have other things to tend to along with a funky carburetor but one thing at a time!

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Man, I just wish I had the space to have cars sit. I could definitely understand how having a handful of cars would mean some of them sit for a while. Good thing it's easy enough to wake them up though. Time to invest in some car covers maybe or at least a harbor freight tarp. :poke:
 
Yeah, I had a cheap cover that got shredded over the years.
I’m sure This Holley needs at least a basic cleaning and a needle and seat. The accelerator pump is stuck too. This is usually from gunk in the passage.
I’ve put this stuff in the tank…

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If it is working, it isn’t doing enough.
I’ve found that even with the classics that I do drive more often, the rubber hoses in the fuel lines do dry out and crack faster than they used to. The ethanol must be responsible for that.
 
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Yeah, I had a cheap cover that got shredded over the years.
I’m sure This Holley need a basic cleaning and a needle and seat. The accelerator pump is stuck too. This is usually from gunk in the passage.
I’ve put this stuff in the tank…

View attachment 1716236729

If it is working, it isn’t doing enough.
I’ve found that even with the classics that I do drive more often, the rubber hoses in the file lines do dry out and crack faster than they used to. The ethanol must be responsible for that.
I'd bet its a combination of that and today's rubber just isn't the same either. Tires and radiator hoses sure don't seem to last as long as they used to.
 
Go to tractor supply. they get the good oil based solvent from out of state. HOWEVER you have to catch it. it doesnt come in regularly and it gets bought FAST. keep an eye out though because it is good ****

or just get super clean at the parts store and do a 70-30 mix with hot water. works just as good.
 
It only takes 30 minutes once a month to keep things humming.

Set a calendar and take it out for a 30 minute drive once a month.
 
Dana, once a month and everything will remain healthy inside the engine?
 
Dana, once a month and everything will remain healthy inside the engine?
It will be fine as long as you drive it long enough to thoroughly heat the engine & exhaust system. Fuel in the tank goes bad if not used a lot. Condensation builds up in the tank and drips into the fuel. Something to be mindful of.
 
Have to rotate the vehicles KD! I have 3 daily drivers so I rotate which one I drive every couple of weeks. The hot rod gets started once a month and driven around the block a few times. I'm probably going to sell it someday just because I don't really need a hot rod anymore. Had it 40 years so I'm not rushing into anything.
 
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