Can it be Fixed??

[68coupe200]

i've got a bone stock 68 200 cuber, that hasn't been ran in 12 years.

I've turned the engine over by hand before and it isn't frozen up...and all the freeze plugs are intact.

Its just in very poor shape...

Valve cover has rusted away basically (will make a great cover for adjusting rockers).

The Carb is there, but in unknown condition, and the distributor is there, but missing all the major components, (points,cap, rotor, wires,etc.)

I was thinking of doing a Duraspark II swap and pulling the carb, valve cover, wires distributor etc out of the Fairmont i'll be using for parts. I"m not sure what type of d2 box is on it.

I would use the complete setup from the fairmont, but it has a knock in the engine, i'll probably scavenge the head and exhaust from it for a later swap...but for now can i make this engine fire off after sitting for so long? :

 

[rbohm]

8) first get some oil into the top part of the cylinders. a good time to do this is when you pull the spark plugs to replace them. turn the engine over by hand and lube the cylinders again. you should rebuild the carb, replace the fuel pump, and as many external gaskets as you can. flush the cooling system, and change the oil and filter. put on fresh plug wires, install new points and condenser and of course plugs. prime the oil system and then start the motor. i would run the motor at about 1500 rpm for about 20 min, then change the oil again.

 

[68coupe200]

since i've got a complete car with the 200, just a later year model i was thinking of using the fuel pump etc from it, it looks exactly the same.

I'm going to use the carb from the other 200 too..

hopefully i can figure out how to wire in the d2 module.

the stock distributor well, is..er... not in so healthy shape, pitted & rusted bad. I'd rather put in the d2 dizzy and module to get it running. Although i will try points if i can't find the correct wires from whats left of my harness to start it. (much less the key for the ign switch)

The oil change and plug change will be done asap.

I'll add a little marvel mystery oil and regular motor oil to the cyls to make sure they are lubed up upon startup.

There is no radiator in the car, so i will add some water to it and pull the radiator from the fairmont and install it, so as to have some cooling properties.

Hopefully she starts..wish me luck!

 

[MLINE]

You say the valve cover is rusting away? Has any of the rust fallen into the engine?

 

[68coupe200]

To be honest, no, there's some places missing from the valve cover, but most of this has fallen off of the valve cover and either onto the engine or valve cover.

No rust has made it inside.

The car is still full of oil, with no milk-shakey looking items.

 

[Anonymous]

get set to change the water pump too. after sitting for that length of time the water pump will either leak as you start it, or you may get about a week or two prior to it leaking. my 67 firebird was in storage since 1987 and i just got it going again. waterpump and fuel pump let me get tuned up and the cobwebs knocked out before letting go with the leaks . but i was ready anyway with the new parts. check the fairmont pump for a possible swap. the pulleys may be different due to the nose of the pumps :x . if you have different pump you will need to change pulleys too. found this out the hard way doing A/c for the wife . new pump at schucks.. $18.00 vs used at jake "the weasel's" pull yard for $2.00. care to guess what i did? had to go back for the "a/c brackets" and the rest of the pulleys!

 

[Anonymous]

On my Comet before I restarted after sitting for 10 years, I poured A/T fluid in the cylinders a week before turned the engine over by hand, everything went fine ran great, I do have a bunch leaks!

See Ya,
Mike

 

[MustangSix]

Trying to fire up and reuse an engine that has obviously sat for so long is false economy. It needs to go on a stand, and then be completely disassembled then reassembled if all the parts are within spec.

Things like seals and gaskets will dry up and leak like a sieve. There may be clumps of rust or debris or dirt lying in the bottom of the pan. There could be dead rodents or lizards in there. The lifters may be shot or the cam worn. The timing gears and chain may have worn out beyond usefulness.

Trying to start that engine and use it without a teardown and inspection will only frustrate you later. This car sounds like it was abandoned because of terminal rust - it could be that the engine was going south as well. At the very least you'll have an idea what condition it's in. And if it all checks out you'll have an engine that's tight and leak free.

 

[68coupe200]

As for trying to reuse it like that, it is false economy.

The reason i want to reuse it is to just move the mustang out of its "wooded haven." even if it ran for about 15 minutes for me to move the car would make me happy.

As for as using it after that, i'm going to do the maintenance and a few mods. the engine smoked when it last ran, so i know it will need rings at least and maybe some head work.

Hopefully this will last me the 15 minutes of fame to move the car.