need help, starting up the orginal motor after 35 years

[cleanshaven84]

Alright guys, need a little advice. I have a '49 GMC that has the original motor and tranny. Everything is there. My question is what will it take to get this thing to at least turn over? I am goig to a swap meet at the end of Sept and would like to sell the motor, tranny, and chassis from it to further fund the rebuild. I know its a 6 volt system but not sure what I need to do. I know I will need to clean up the carb and put a little fluid of some sort in the spark plug holes to help free up the cylinders. The motor turns freely by hand. All the wiring is pretty shot too with it being all original. I just need a way to get it fired off so that way I can tell people that it does run but needs a rebuild. I was told that a running motor that needs a rebuild will sell for more than a "it ran when it was parked" motor. I'm usually pretty good at figuring this stuff out but I have never messed with a project this big and old and really don't want to risk blowing this motor up. Any help is appreciated.

[jhaymon]

change the oil and fuel. pull the distributor and prime the engine. replace the points an condenser. replace belts and plug wires and battery. prime the carb and turn it over a couple of time. you might wanna take the carb apart, clean it out and replace the the gaskets, but it's not really necessary just to start it.
dont grind on it. if it doesnt fire after the first couple of turns check you work and try again

[cleanshaven84]

What would be the best oil to put back in it? And would they be a special type of plug wire? Thanks for the info bud.

[Highsider]

Don't lean over the open carb with a cup of gas to prime it.
Pour some in and reinstall the air cleaner.
When I was a kid I watched the neighbor do that and the car backfired. He lurched and the gas spilled on him and he caught fire.

Not to be a downer, but I HAD to say it anyway.

[arturo7]

First step, figure out the money and time you'll need to put into it. Will you get that much more for it? You might be better off to sell it as is. Most anyone who buys that motor is going to rebuilt it anyway.

[Russell Ashley]

If you just want to make it run so you can try to sell it, I wouldn't spend too much money on it. It seems to me that old running gear from these trucks doesn't sell well and won't usually bring much more than scrap value. If it were me I'd make sure it had oil in it, pour a mix of 50/50 oil and gas in each cylinder and turn it one full revolution by hand. Then hot wire it using a 12 volt battery to the starter and coil and spin it over a few times. Then pour a little gas down the carb and try it. You will probably have to clean the points but I would try it first before doing anything since your goal is only to make it run. If it still has gas in the tank I would disconnect the input line to the fuel pump and rig up a temp fuel line to the carb if you want to run it longer than the few seconds that the fuel you poured into the carb will keep it going.

[Rude Dude]

Totally agree why spend money on something that you are not going to use!

Originally Posted by arturo7

First step, figure out the money and time you'll need to put into it. Will you get that much more for it? You might be better off to sell it as is. Most anyone who buys that motor is going to rebuilt it anyway.

[cleanshaven84]

My goal is to not put more than maybe a few quarts of oil and a gallon of gas into it cost wise. I would really like to get at least $500 for it so I can put that into rebuilding the 4.3L I will be using. I figured if I could tell people that it will at least turn over, I could get that for it. I appreciate all the help and info.
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[OrrieG]

I am on the minimal side too. I would not touch the dist or plug wire unless there is no spark at the plugs. If you are worried about the wiring, hot to the coil from the battery and jump the solenoid. If you want high tech ad a switch in the coil line, I just keep a set of dikes in my pocket. dilute some oil like stated to prime the cylinders, pull the top off the carb and prime the float bowl. Crank it and see what happens. If theres no spark at the plugs and you have spare parts laying around then play with the electric. They fact it spins is a big plus. I would put $50 into it. I tried to sell my 235 for 20 years (85-2005) pulled as a running engine needing rebuilt. Finally go tired of moving it around and just scrapped it. I see them all the time on CL around here and no one is buying them to rebuild.

[mknittle]

Originally Posted by arturo7

First step, figure out the money and time you'll need to put into it. Will you get that much more for it? You might be better off to sell it as is. Most anyone who buys that motor is going to rebuilt it anyway.

You will never get anywhere thinking "Will you get that much more for it"

[jhaymon]

10w30..nothing special.
dont break the bank going all out on special stuff. it'll cost about 50-60 bux to get it running and that with a complete tune up. points are dirt cheap and the wire you'll buy in a build your own kit. a rebuild kit for that carb cost 20-30bux and advance, napa or orilys carries everything or can at least get it next day. you going to use you oil bottle and a foot or two of rubber gas line as a gas tank till you get the one in the truck cleaned out and sealed..or replaced if its rotten.

if you have the 216 you can get allot more if its running. i got 4000 for a 48 216 and trans just a year because it ran. they are getting really hard to find running. the 216 costs a small fortune to rebuild before 49 due to the machine work that has to be done so new bearing can put on the mains and cam. if you have one without replaceable main bearings and you can prove it runs well, you can basically replace your drive-train on trade.

[cleanshaven84]

I figured if I could get it to at least turn over, I could get the $500 I need for my motor. I'm not really sure what motor it is. Is there a way to tell exactly which motor it is? It's a '49 GMC 1/2 ton if that helps.

[arturo7]

c84, do a search for your motor on ePay, Look at completed auctions.

[jhaymon]

get the numbers off it. they are behind the dipstick ..is it an 8 or 6. i held mine for 4 years before finding a buyer who wanted a numbers matching restoration. my results or a matter of work and knowing the market. if you check the the geezer sites(dupont registry ect) they will have a pn# listed for the parts they need and expectations on condition. ebay is not the way to go if you wanna make a sale on a rare engine. and like i said it depends on the condition

i believe this site will have the info you need http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/models/engine.htm