VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc Dead in 1980, Alive in 2022

Got my wife's uncle's 1961 Apache running!!!!!! The last time it ran and was registered was in 1980. It has been sitting in the woods next to his house since he parked it there. Steps I took were simple. I did them at the same time I was also doing them on a 41 I received from him. The engines are both Chevy Stovebolt. 216 and 235.
1. Turned over the engine by hand.
2. Pull spark plugs and flood the cylinders and carb with Marvel Mystery Oil.
3. Hit everything I could with penetrating oil.
4. Pulled the valve cover, inspected, oiled, and verified valve movement.
5. Turned over the engine by hand.
6. Inspected wiring.
7. Disconnected fuel line in front of fuel pump.
8. Hook up dummy switch for the starter and switch for powering the coil. Keys were lost in the woods somewhere. My wife and her siblings used to play in all these cars over the years.
9. Pipe a gas can full of ethanol free gas to the fuel pump.
10. Hooked up battery and turned engine over without plugs to clear cylinders.
11. Bought new plugs and installed. Inspected, cleaned, and tested coil, points and verified spark.
12. Manually feed carb with 40:1 fuel
13. Turn her over and over and over until she finally starts to run.
14. Changed the oil. No filter on this truck.
15. Turn her over and over until she starts then watched her level out and idle for a minute.
16. Came back out an hour later and started right up with no choke or throttle.

Now I filled the radiator with water and testing for leaks. I suspect I have a failing water pump because of a small leak. We will see.

My question to everyone, how long should I let it run now. Should I run the engine thru a certain amount of heat cycles? What to look for now?

Congratulations!! Seems like you have a pretty good handle on the situation.
On 3 occasions, I have started engines after a long rest, and a bit later, decided to remove the pan. Boy oh boy, was I glad I did. All were sludged up to the extreme. It has convinced me that pan removal should be part of any engine revival, after a long rest. On two of the three, the oil pump screen had dropped off.
On a different subject, If you can remove a door lock on each of them, you might find a key code. (8000 or 9000 number) This number was also the code for the ignition switch, when the vehicle left the factory. Send me the codes and I will make keys for you as a congratulatory gift. WAY TO GO.

Mike

Way to go! You are wise to run with a separate fuel source rather than dump fresh gas in the tank and run off that. I know someone really well who made that mistake and learned his lesson. As for tips, once you get them running well make sure they stop well before taking them on the road. Check the wiring, especially the 41. Cloth insulated wire does NOT age well. Congrats again!