Okay, I'm new here and havent had too much experience with cars this old but I just bought my 63 New Yorker thats been sitting for 10 years at a shop after a trans rebuild and the owner just never came back for it. It ran when parked, but that was a decade ago. Its been washed since the picture but I'm wondering is there anything in particular I should do before attempting to start it? Everything seems there save a few spark plugs And wires. And how do I go about cleaning up the interior? Also who offers classic insurance that doesn't require it be garaged? I've got a few other problems but these are the most prominent. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

Welcome... Nice project....
Hagerty for insurance....
add back the plug wires... add some fuel.... make sure it has oil in it... Light it off and see if it runs..... If that works out for the moment... then do a service and inspection from head to toe and replace anything that is needed...

 

Thanks, I just got my quote from Hagerty, and I was going to go about service backwards and probably die of anticipation of the first crank. Should be picking it up either tomorrow or Wednesday

 

Before I tried to start it I would put a wrench on the crank nut and try to turn it by hand. If it turns fairly easy then give it a go and see if it will fire.

If not get some Marvel Mystery Oil and pour some into each cylinder. Let it set for a day or two without the plugs installed and try to turn it again. If it won't turn or moves slightly but is hard to turn let it set some more. Keep repeating the process until it turn fairly easy before trying to start it. Once you decide it is ready to start crank it over a few times with the plugs still not installed and it will push a lot of the oil out of the plug holes yeah it will make a mess but better than trying to start it with all the oil in the cylinders and the hydrostatic pressure it will cause. At the same time you will be priming the oil pump so that it does not start dry. Now put the plugs back in it, cross your fingers and give it a go.

 

Good morning guys, finally got to do some wrench turning yesterday. I guess Sunday will be my only free day for a while. I got the new plugs in replaced the wires and fixed some of the rat damage on battery and starter cables. Put in a spare battery and it turns! No kick even with ether so checking the coil and timing next. I feel a little better now that ive made a tiny bit of progress

 

Progress is good...

 

Keep us posted on your adventur.

 

 

It's been a while, but I did finally get her running and she sounds surprisingly well. A little rough as expected but strong. Ive been working 12's 7 days a week so havent had time to dive in but I did notice I need a gas tank so I had to rig an external tank to test run it. Mine is full of 10yo slime that was once considered gas I'm sure.. It will likely be a while before I can get back underneath but I'll still be doing small things here and there. Next up, brakes

 

Sounds like you made some good headway !!!! Keep Chipping at it, One thing at a time. Sounds like you have a heavy work load... Keep us posted... Looking forward to hearing that it's on the road.

 

Alright everyone, first off good morning. It's been a while since I've posted but life's been a bit hectic. Had a baby, wife passed away, bought a house, and even got the car running semi reliably. Cosmetically she's only been washed, still rusted but I did get some new white walls put on. Did a little work on the ignition system so now she runs just has a little miss but all in all I'm happy with the progress. Now for the questions; I have an overheating problem so I flushed the system and replaced the water pump to no change. Anyone know where I can get a quality radiator (or this one re-sleeved)? Also how difficult would it be to add air bags? My suspension is shot.

 

First congratulations on the baby and I'm sorry to here about your wife.
Over heating or running hot can be from running lean, late timing, bad trerastat or plugged radiator. So check out the car and timing, replace the thermostat with a 165° and find a radiator shop that can rod the radiator. You should replace the hoses also.
Ì recent picture would be cool also!
Good luck, Tom

 

nice car! i notice it's a big block. do you know what cubes?