starting a engine thats been sitting for a few year...what to do

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71scamp78

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I got a great deal on a 360 thats been rebuilt and has around 15k on engine. It's been sitting for a long time in his garage and I'm wondering what precautions to take before trying to fire her up. One thing I know is just to pull distrubutor and prime the oil pump. The engine spins freely as well was thinking of maybe spraying the cylinders with some wd 40 in case there may be a little rust in cylinders.
 
All great ideas. I would find top dead center for #1 and drop the dist. in at 10° so it will fire right up. Also prime the carb with fresh gas through the bowl vents.
 
There could very easily a significant amount of rust on one or more cylinder walls, plus losse carbon crud. I would get it on an engine stand, drain the oil, and rotate it so that the plug holes in one bank of cylinders are pointing sligthly down and spray WD40 in each cylinder over and over while turning it over. Then rotate it and do the same for the other bank. I have done this on airgraft engine that have set for a while and the amount of crud that came out was not small.

Do you know of the PO did annything as far as any preservative on the cylinder walls?
 
Take out all of the spark plugs before starting it, and crank it over to let any "debris" that you can get out, then put in the plugs and let her rip....
 
I've used marvel mystery oil in the cylinders before cranking the engine....let it sit for a little while, then crank.
 
Marvel may do a better job of cleaning of rust than WD40 will. It will also protect the parts a little better. Unless the engine had manifolds or headers on it and the rockers were backed off it may have rust on at least one or two bores. Enough that I'd want to make sure there was Marvel in the holes before I turned it over. I'd pour a bit in every hole, then turn by hand wit the plugs out so the excess runs out the holes. Then pre-oil it with a primer while rotating it to veryfy il is getting to the rockers, put the plugs back in, and let 'er rip.
 
How long is sitting a while, 13 years fresh gas and crank.8=10 listen to above sugestions.
 
If the engine turns over now. prime it throw 20/50 wt. in it and fire it up! If rust in the cyl. it would stick. Good luck.
 
I would go with mistery oil in the plug holes and hand spin it . Once installed, pour a teaspoon in each cyl, and crank with plugs out. I would go with a 10/30 vr1 oil and fill the bowls up with a gas mixed with an oz or two of mistery oil for the first start also go with a heavy mistery oil mix with the new fuel in the tank. If everything sounds good in the first minute you should be fine!
 
Took valve cover off and engine looks super clean so that's a good sign , even the push rods still look like new. Bought me some mystery oil also
 
If it will spin over, simply prime it while turning it several complete revolutions. When it busts off, it'll puke any rust or carbon right out. It's not fragile.
 
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