Got it Started!

Got the distributor cap and wires installed.  Had to do some checking on where TDC is to get the wires placed in the cap correctly.  Plus making sure it fires on the compression stroke, not exhaust!  Used ignition tester to confirm we had spark.


Then tried to get fuel to move from the tank to the carbs.  The tank had been empty.  It's a mechanical pump, tried both turning over engine and using lever on the pump to move fluid by hand.  Spent a lot of time getting nothing.  By pressurizing sections of fuel line we finally determined that the brass fuel shutoff valve was leaking.  This prevents the fuel pump from establishing a vacuum to draw fuel from the tank.  Tried to bypass it but hardware store did not have an 5/16 inch inverted flare male to male fitting to allow bypassing.  Finally decided to simply lock the shutoff valve in the open position but seal it with fuel resistant gasket sealer.  Essentially glued it to the open position but sealed up the area around the core of the valve.  FINALLY we got fuel up to the carbs.  And it fired right up!


Yes we did have the front carb's float valve stuck open.  Plus the thermostat housing gasket was leaking.  But after fixing these two issues we let it run for about 20 minutes.  Ran great with good oil pressure.  Here's the video:



Still got to figure out why rebuilt generator is not charging.  Plus the clutch hydraulics need attention, could not get car in gear.  But we are delighted that it appears this engine is solid.  This was one of our major concerns - the previous owner just told us he drove it home about 15 years ago and never ran it again.  And it had been sitting for a long time prior to that.  But it appears no engine rebuild is in the picture!

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