65 vette restoration
 

Hey all

Im hoping someone with experience in restoring vettes or cars in general can help me out here. Here is my project. I just inherited a 65 vette that I am looking to restore. Here is what I know about it... It has been parked on blocks in a garage for approximately 15 years without being touched. When it was parked it ran fine. It has less that 50,000 miles on the engine and everything is original. My question is, it was parked with all the fluid in the engine. Nothing was removed. I obviously need to find out if the engine has siezed up but dont know how to go about turning it over after 15 years. What do I do to prep the engine for that first attempt to start it to determine the extent of repairs needed?

Thanks for the help!

RE: 65 vette restoration
 

As far as the engine goes, I would drain any fluids and replace them. I run and like Mobil 1 synthetic oil which I would suggest for yours as well. I would also change the plugs, wires, and dizzy cap and rotor, they are not expensive and would be good to start with those parts new.

RE: 65 vette restoration
 

Thanks for the reply!

I was told by someone in the past that I should replace the spark plugs and lubricate the engine with a combination of oil and another synthetic lubricant (cant remember the name) for 24 hours prior to attempting to start the engine for the first time. I guess this would prevent doing damage to the engine. Ever heard anything like this?

Thanks again for the help!

RE: 65 vette restoration
 

Yeah, you actually just reminded me. If the engine has not been turned over in a long time I would attempt to manual turn it at the crank after adding fresh oil, filter, plsugs and so on. I think what a lot of guys do is take the plugs out and spray some PB blaster into the cylynders. Not a lot, just enough to free up the piston rings if they are froze to the wall. A couple of squirts should be plenty.

RE: 65 vette restoration
 

Thanks a lot for your help!

RE: 65 vette restoration
 

I also forgot to tell you to let the PB Blaster sit over night at least.