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Hasn't run in 10 years, need suggestions

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AustinJim

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I've just acquired a 78 spitfire 1500 from my brother-in-law that was put up 10 years ago and has not run since. He can't remember why he stopped driving it. It was not prepped before being put up and I need some suggestions on what to do before I first attempt to start it. The fuel tank was perforated on top and will have to be replaced but it was not leaking and there was still fuel in it. The stuff looked like transmission fluid!
Any suggestions on what I should do before attempting to start it for the first time in 10 years?
Thanks!
 
Great procedure... what I should have done on my TR3A but I was too poor to hire a tow truck so we drug it with a tractor until it fired then drove it home to inspect it.

To Tony's list I would add -- Have fire extinguisher handy and have ground connection loosely attached when you hook up the battery. Good precautions especially if you're human and just can't wait until way down the list before you try to start it.
 
Make sure you put some oil down each cylinder before attempting to even turn it over by hand. My TR250 sat for 14 years. I let the oil sit in there for two years before I got to turn it over by hand.

And Yes, have a fire extinguisher handy. Halotron is recommended over powder, however you should be OK if you clean the powder immediately after use. I connected the negative battery cable, and the positive was grounding out and I got my first smoke.
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions! I was considering turning it over by hand first but I'm wondering how to do that. Is there a bolt on the front of the crankshaft I can turn?
 
Thought that I would give my two cents worth...I recently started a Spit after several years standing. I usually drop the oil pan and pull all bearing caps to make sure that all oil passages are clear { this also lets you know if there are any bearing issues }. On this job, the owner was too cheap and would not allow me to inspect the lower end. The car started and ran fine for a total of 89.7 miles before a spun bearing! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thirsty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thirsty.gif Please remember that your Spit is not equipt with a oil pressure guage. Might be a GOOD idea to fit one.
Cheers, David.
 
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Thanks for all the great suggestions! I was considering turning it over by hand first but I'm wondering how to do that. Is there a bolt on the front of the crankshaft I can turn?

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Remove the belt and turn the fan. I imagine the fan is at the end of the crank. We rocked the fan blade a little one way, and a little the other way until it freed up and it would turn over. Removing the spark plugs helps with this.
 
Hi,

I looked over the above link and it covers most points and should serve well as a guide for just about any LBC. Following the details of that guide will help insure a safe, reliable car once it's restarted and back on the road.

However, in addition to the suggestion to put some oil in each cylinder (good idea), I would also suggest to run some oil down the pushrods, to the point where the cam followers fill and overflow onto the cam. Do this even before turning by hand. The idea is to get a bit of lubrication on the cam and follower surfaces. Do this just before cranking over the motor for the first time, too.

Dropping the oil pan to see what's inside is also a good suggestion. I found the La Brea tar pits in the crankcase of a motorcycle that had sat for about the same amount of time, maybe a bit longer (how many 1980 Hondas have you seen with 7500 miles on the odometer?)

Once the car is running, I'd also suggest changing the oil and filter pretty promptly, say withing 100 miles.

The "to do" list at that website does mention changing belts and radiator hoses. Basically, anything that is rubber is at least 5 years beyond it's expected service life and due for a change. This sort of assumes everything was installed about the time the car last ran. In fact, most rubber items on the car are probably far older.

Have fun!

Alan
 
Jim,

Great to have you and your Spit aboard. The guys have all given great suggestions, on getting your car up and running. As for turning your motor over, the 1500, has a 1 13/16" nut on the end of the crank shaft with which you can easily turn the motor over. A 78 will have an electric cooling fan, not one attached to the crank. The idea to take the spark plugs out before turning it over is a good one anyway, and the best place to run some oil into the cylinders anyway. Good luck.
 
Hi Jim, these are all good suggestions. I have a '77 Midget with the same 1500 engine that sat for 18 years. If yours is anything like mine, you'll probably have lots of crud in the cooling system to flush out. Mine partially clogged the radiator shortly after I got it running. Other than that, I gave it an oil change prior to starting it, put some oil down the cylinders, and did some electrical checks to make sure I wouldn't get a nasty surprise when I hooked up a new battery. Oh, and the reason it sat for 18 years? The electronic ignition died, and your '78 may have the same 45DE4 distributor. Pertronix makes a nice replacment module that works perfectly. Good luck!

-Dave
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll try get the right rear wheel unlocked before working on the engine so it may be a little while before I get a chance to try everything suggeested. Thanks again!
 
The locked up right rear wheel turned out to be the brake which shouldn't be too hard to fix. I drained the oil in preparation for removing the oil pan (to clean out the crud and inspect the lower end) and about a quart of water came out first! Haven't dropped the oil pan yet so I don't know what damage the water may have done. At least, since oil floats on top of water the water was in the bottom of the pan (I hope!) and not the rest of the engine.
 
I've drained the oil and am trying to drop the oil pan to clean out any sludge. I've unbolted it but I can't seem to manuver it away from the engine more than a couple of inches. Before I get muscular with it I want to know if it's possible to remove the oil pan with the engine still mounted in the car. Anyone have experience with this?
Thanks!
 
the oil pump makes it hard to just slide out. You will have to work it for awhile till you can get it loose. Don't muscle it too much, just be patient and keep manouvering it eventually it will get into a position where you can get it past the oil pump.
 
Might help to visualize where the oil pump sticks down thru the opening in the top of the pan (straight down from the distributor) and get that spot clear of the pump before manuevering fore & aft.

(Been a long time since I wrestled one of these so I can't be more specific other than to agree it can be done).
 
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