Re: IML: The Moment of Truth / starting a long unused 392

[Tim Durrer <tdkd99@xxxxxxxxx>]

I was even further off my rocker. When I bought my 73
it had not been started since the late 80's. It was in
a garage during this time and a friend of mine and I
rented a car one way down to Florida to pick it up. At
any rate, I used AAA to come and pull the car out of
the garage and inflate the tires and put some fresh
gas in the tank and carb. After I checked all the
fluids it fired right up with lots of oil smoke.
We then drove it from Jacksonville Florida to
Washington D.C. The only problem I had was a tire that
lost its tread. So, we stopped in Florence S.C. for
new tires. That was about a year ago and ny wife still
says I was crazy for "tempting fate". I loved the ride
up I-95. Lots of people blowing their horns and giving
us the thumbs up. One person in a Jeep shouted "nice
car" when I passed him.

Tim Durrer
73 Blue Sky 

--- "Hugh, 58 Imperial" <imperial58@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Thank goodness you didn't do what I did.  My car had
> sat idle for years in a large museum shed in San
> Antonio with no climate control.  I was in conflict
> with the old fogies running the place and, with a
> Vietnam vet with a lot of issues, decided to fire up
> the most useless vehicle on the property.  Hah! 
> That'll show 'em.  We put water in the radiator,
> installed a hot battery and simply fired the thing
> up after maybe fifteen years of just sitting there. 
> Man, I don't think I've ever seen so much oily smoke
> from one vehicle.  It was spectacular!.  There is a
> dark stain on the wall right behind where the car
> used to sit.  So, what the hey, I put it into gear
> and tried to drive it outside.  As I now know, brake
> fluid is hydroscopic and the stuff in the 58 had
> first expanded, turned to the consistency of wet
> sugar, oozed past the brake cylinders and dried on
> the shoes themselves.  All this to say the car would
> hardly move without stalling every half revolution
> of the wheels.  But I did manage, certainly more by
> luck than judgment, to get the thing outside, which
> was our main goal.  I have never been so proud of an
> empty parking space in my life.  I can still feel
> the thrill of it today.
> 
> Now, of course, I'm the old fogey running the place
> and I would kill anyone who did what I did.  I
> discovered that getting the engine to run was the
> easiest part of any restoration effort.  You get to
> the top of the mountain only to find a range of
> steeper, taller mountains off into the horizon.  The
> car suffered no serious ill effects from my less
> than clever behavior.  It's current condition came
> when the lower radiator hose split at highway speed
> at least ten years later.
> 
> Hugh
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: David Dimitriou 
>   To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
>   Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 11:23 AM
>   Subject: IML: The Moment of Truth
> 
> 
>   I bought my 57 about a month ago. The story went
> like this. 
> 
>   "For sale, low mileage 1957 Imperial complete with
> original 392 Hemi. Was running when parked some
> years ago." 
> 
>   OK so I bit hard after succumbing to some serious
> Hemi Fever. I wasn't delirious, but I did pay. After
> a 4 hour long drive to go pick it up and a very
> arduous time (four flats) getting it onto the
> trailer I had it. And then I brought my prize home. 
> 
>   So it did indeed appear that it actually could be
> what it had said it was. I am somewhat observant and
> noticed the following which seem to support the
> advertised description.
> 
>   Odometer -- 54,538
>   Brake and Accelerator pedals have almost no wear
>   Original upholstery - slightly worn, but cooked by
> the Texas sun
>   Battery - charged fine, and holding 
>   A/C Compressor, Power Steering, Water Pump and
> Generator all spin nicely and all have good belts.
> 
>   After soaking the tops of the cylinders for nearly
> a month with Marvel Mystery Oil, today was the day.
> The day to try and see if the engine could be turn
> over by hand.
> 
>   OK, so drum roll please...
> 
>   Tada! The 392 turns over smooth and sweet by hand
> with good strong compression. Yes I know it's
> probably not all that spectacular or miraculous. And
> of course I certainly could encounter some
> unpleasant surprises when I do try to fire it up. So
> far though I am quite pleased.
> 
>   I'd like to hear from others that have awakened
> slumbering giants like my 392 what measures they
> employed. I do plan on trying to clean as much gum
> and varnish out as I can. I don't intend to remove
> or overhaul the motor. At least not at this point.
> So if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear
> them. I'm sure there are a few good tricks out there
> to deal with long dry seals and other hazards
> associated with extended periods of inactivity. 
> 
>   regards,
>   Dave
>   1957 Custom Southampton 4 Door
>   1958 Sedan
>   1962 Crown Southampton 4 Door 
> 
> 
> 



 
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