Getting an old Z running again

[JRSully]

Helping a friend get his dad's 73 Z RS running again, 6400 orig miles, put away wet in 94, otherwise pristine condition. Thinking the following:

1. Drop and store/put away original tank/sending unit as it is probably rusted/crudded internally etc (car was dealer undercoated unfortunately) Replace with decent aftermarket tank and sending unit (for now).
2. Replace rubber fuel line pieces, keep and store originals if possible
3. Fuel pump probably shot (diaphragm), will check it and replace, store original
4. Orig Radiator has/holds coolant but is very cruddy internally, can it be salvaged.? Thinking of pulling it, replace it with aftermarket (for now) while the original is brought back to life.?
5. Look at Qjet (looks very clean) change filter and observe, rebuild if leaking
6. Oil/filter change , then prime oil system, PS pump looks good, Brake MC looks good (was going to deal with the braking system later on, car rolls fine)
7. check points, belts replace if necessary

Any other tips.? This car is a very true survivor, Friends father was a big time detail nut and everything else on this car is pristine (paint, interior) Obviously the "survivor" aspect of the car is a concern and the more parts we pull/replace diminishes that I would think

Thx in advance for any advice

[enio45]

IMO, i would suggest to pull plugs and lube the cylinders and pull distributor and spin the oil pump with fresh oil to get the flow going.....

[JRSully]

That is on the list as well! TY

[ban617]

Ideally it would be nice to take a bore scope down the cylinders & check for critters first , then put some atf or marvel mystery oil in the cylinders … Also I would pull the valve covers & spray the valve stems with penetrating oil & make sure that you don’t have a stuck valve , Also when you prime it you can make sure all the pushrods are oiling … Then turn over by hand a few times aswell …

[Mr70]

Good list for long sitting starting.

[enio45]

i did the above pretty much for a v12 ferrari motor - cycled the motor by hand with plugs out , lube cylinders again - pumped oil thru the motor, flushed out gas tank, filters and carbs.....set the distributors in a dizzy machine - so we knew they were dialed in and all i needed was to get timing close......once all set - fired in 2 cycles!

[William]

Don't even think of driving it without flushing the brake system and replacing the rubber flex hoses. A bud had a caliper failure on a '68 Camaro SS driving to a show last year.

New tires also.

[JRSully]

He is not driving it until after the engine/systems are sorted, then brakes...

[Kurt S]

pumped oil thru the motor, flushed out gas tank, filters and carbs.....
If the car is that original, I'd focus on flushing the tank and the lines, not replacing parts.

[WILMASBOYL78]

If the car is that original, I'd focus on flushing the tank and the lines, not replacing parts.


x2 :flag:

[RALLY]

If the car is that original, I'd focus on flushing the tank and the lines, not replacing parts.

Agree 100% leave the original parts on the car after the cleaning process.

[mssl72]

What if the inside of the tank is a little crispy? How would you guys handle that? I'm kinda in the same situation.

[rm70z]

Any photos , love to see survivors

[Kurt S]

An original tank from any vehicle from that vintage is a bit crispy. That's what the filter on the fuel sending unit is for.

[mssl72]

An original tank from any vehicle from that vintage is a bit crispy. That's what the filter on the fuel sending unit is for.

What I was wondering is, what the best method of removing the "crisp" and treatment of the tank afterwards. Has anyone gone through the process? What works and what doesn't?

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

Most radiator shops will clean the inside of a fuel tank. They use some type of strong acid to flush out the tank and then seal the entire inside. This is what i did a number of years back and has been fine sense. If the car is that original, this is what i would do.

[ronzz572]

If the car has been stored well in a warm dry garage? 1st thing I would do is remove the spark plugs and turn the motor by hand. If it turns over freely. Drain the oil and change the filter. Disconect the fuel line at pump inlet. Crank it over with a new battery to get the oil flowing off and on for about 5 mi minutes. Attach a new hose to the fuel pump inlet and into a fuel can with high octane racing fuel. Then crank it some more to get the fuel up to the carb. Then let it sit for about a hour to let the fresh fuel clean up the stale dry fuel in the carb. Try the accelerater pump and see if it squirts fuel. If no leaks put a fresh new set of spark plugs in it and see if it starts up. Leave everything else alone including coolant if it has enough in it. Keep the original plugs to put back in later if it runs ok.. if everything went well there. I would see what the fuel gauge indicates. If full it probably won't have any rust. Then try to sample the fuel. Either way empty or full. If it's still liquid form use a electric fuel pump hooked to the fuel pump hose and drain and sample the fuel again. If the worked out fuel drained and not to bad. Add 5 gallon of racing fuel again to the tank and hook the original hose back to the pump. Then run it again. It Remember a car is only a original survivor car if everything is left undisturbed or changed. So be very careful with everything you do. If everything worked out favorable with the engine. Now move on to the brake system. Check the fluid in the reservoir. If it looks OK test push the brake pedal. If the brakes function and don't stick on anywhere. I would leave it alone. If dirty suck out the fluid In the reservoir a d replace with fresh fluid. And then try the brakes. Again I stress it's a original survivor car you want to do the very minimum to make things function and work without disturbing anything.