How to Start a Car?

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JGC403

JGC403

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My father spent years restoring a 1957 DeSoto Firedome 2-door. I remember him working on it in the garage as I was growing up. About 8 years ago he lost his job and he moved the family out to Arizona. It was moved up to my Grandfathers garage and has been sitting there since. It is a shame that such a beautiful car just sits. So now that I am back my plan is to get this thing running again, and I will be taking it to Carlisle for the Chrysler Nationals in July.

So whats the procedure how do you start something that has been sitting for so long, and still has gas in it. I was thinking of priming the oil pump, draining and refilling the fluids such as gas, oil, trans fluid, coolant, and brake fluid. should I pull the spark plugs and spray some PB blaster or something into each cylinder? Should I rebuild the Carb?

I have never been inside a 1st gen Hemi. Do you pull the distributor and oil pump driveshaft to prime the oil pump like a small or big block Mopar?
 
well a good start would be to pull the plugs and pour a table spoon or two of trans fluid in each cyl, then let it sit for a couple of days... then turn it over by hand...

good call on fluids...

depending on the carb at least just take it apart and clean it...
 
You treat it just like you would any other engine. Theres nothing mystical about an old Hemi. Just like Mopar Kid said. Pull plugs, change fluids. A car setting that long may have some shrunk seals. Turn it by hand, make sure its free. probably the last time that thing ran was when ledid gas was still used.
 
I bought a partially stripped '64 Dodge with a 318 that had been sitting for years with no hood, no carb, and just a piece of old floor mat covering the engine.

I checked the oil, stuck a battery in her, poured some gas down the intake holes...Then stuck a screwdriver across the solenoid and she spun over a few times then roared to life for a few seconds until the gas was burnt up.

I put that motor and pushbutton transmission into my 1957 Plymouth.

As long as the motor isn't stuck, you shouldn't have no trouble getting her to start.

Be sure to sand the points! They probably have corrosion on them from sitting so long.

The only thing is that depending on how long the car has sat, the seals/gaskets have probably dried up and she might start leaking like a sift.
 
JGC403 said:
should I pull the spark plugs and spray some PB blaster or something into each cylinder? Should I rebuild the Carb?
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Easy answer is with the key. The DeSoto sounds like a very cool find.

The stuff that I hear the old timers swear by is putting a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the top of the cylinders and let set overnight. After replacing the fluids, even turning the engine over by hand will prime the oil pump and push the new oil through the engine. With a good oil pump, 3-5 revolutions has established flow.

If the carb is streaming fuel, then I'd rebuild. It may seep a while as the seals are swelling up from gas. IMHO.
 
Ok so no need to pull the distributor and turn the fuel pump, that's what I wasn't sure about.


I will get pictures up tomorrow.
 
Not the best pictures. But they are the only ones I have on my computer.

360magnum046-2.jpg

360magnum045-2.jpg
 
Wow;Thats a beautiful car-Marvel is the best oil to put in the cylinders,I usually leave the plugs out and turn them over with a socket at the balancer.
 
well opinions are like A**holes so here's mine

pull all the plugs and dump in about 2-Oz's of some 2 cycle oil/gas mix
put the plugs back in and let the car sit for at least 3 days up to 7 if your
not in a hurry, pull all the accessory belts and with the plugs out get a breaker
bar on the crank pulley bolt and try to break it loose but bump crank it backwards.

if it turns free, disconnect the fuel line from the tank at the and run it to a can just in case it drips, pull the coil wire, hook up the battery and crank it over. if all seems good to go put the belts back on change the oil get a separate gallon can of gas and hook
a hose to the pump inlet and drop it in the can of gas and try to start it up.

personally i would not use the gas in the tank as its probably like varnish after 8+ years

if it is seized don't give up or force it to turn over, refill each cylinder with the 2 cycle mixture and try again, biggest mistake you can make is to force the issue and possibly break a ring.

we used the above method on a 70 challenger barn find that had been sitting for 20+years and it worked perfect.

had another friend that i found a 69 charger white hat special for and he was in such a hurry that he just cranked it over without even trying oil or bumping it by hand and it snapped a ring.


YMMV
 
wp23n said:
well opinions are like A**holes so here's mine

pull all the plugs and dump in about 2-Oz's of some 2 cycle oil/gas mix
put the plugs back in and let the car sit for at least 3 days up to 7 if your
not in a hurry, pull all the accessory belts and with the plugs out get a breaker
bar on the crank pulley bolt and try to break it loose but bump crank it backwards.

if it turns free, disconnect the fuel line from the tank at the and run it to a can just in case it drips, pull the coil wire, hook up the battery and crank it over. if all seems good to go put the belts back on change the oil get a separate gallon can of gas and hook
a hose to the pump inlet and drop it in the can of gas and try to start it up.

personally i would not use the gas in the tank as its probably like varnish after 8+ years

if it is seized don't give up or force it to turn over, refill each cylinder with the 2 cycle mixture and try again, biggest mistake you can make is to force the issue and possibly break a ring.

we used the above method on a 70 challenger barn find that had been sitting for 20+years and it worked perfect.

had another friend that i found a 69 charger white hat special for and he was in such a hurry that he just cranked it over without even trying oil or bumping it by hand and it snapped a ring.


YMMV
Click to expand...

X2. Also make sure it's got a manual oil press. gauge and I would try to prime the oil syst. by hand first before the actual start up. Though I don't know how to do the priming on the old hemi's.
 
Thanks for the compliments, I always liked this car. I just love the fins on these things.

OK thanks for all of the input, I'll get something in the cylinders this Saturday and let it sit for a week.
 
nothingbutdarts said:
X2. Also make sure it's got a manual oil press. gauge and I would try to prime the oil syst. by hand first before the actual start up. Though I don't know how to do the priming on the old hemi's.
Click to expand...

X3 Had a 1950 Packard that I pulled out of a field after sitting for over 25yrs, my dad taught me the old cap full of ATF in the cylinder trick, haven't tried 2cycle before. Whatever you do however, they're right, the more prep work you put into everything the more likely you are to be able to save the motor from catastrophic failure or extreemly expensive repairs. After a couple weeks of prep work, the Packard fired right up and ran like a champ......ohh if you use ATF give your neighbors fair warning and start it up outside, lived on top of a hill and when the Packard started up and ran it filled the entire valley around the house in a blue haze :glasses2:
 
Thanks for the compliments. I'll get better pictures when its out of the garage and gets washed.
 
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