any tips for starting one thats been sitting?

[CG]

next weekend im going to fire up one of my trucks that hasnt been started in ages. to prepare im wondering if i should shoot some sort of lube into the cylinders via spark plug holes? the engine only has about 5000 miles on a complete rebuild and id like to make sure im easy on it as possible. i want to drain the behind the seat tank, is there a petcock drain on it somewhere? its been years since ive had it out so i cant remember. thanks for any tips.

[Robert1970C20rstbukt]

When I got mine running after 8 years of sitting, this is what I did:

change oil
fill up tranny fluid
add water to radiator
clean carburetor
siphon gas out of the tank and put about 3 gal. of fresh gas in(i had to pull the tank later on to replace it)
cleaned the points and checked the sparkplug wires, coil etc.

I pulled all the plugs and put some 10W-40 oil in each cylinder the day before I cranked on it and it fired off and I got it running till I could get a new carb, get some good rims/tires, etc.

[gonebad2]

No petcock on the gas tank. I have removed them and dumped the varnished gas out. Look inside the tank with a flashlight to see if it's rusty. Sometimes when they sit for a long time with less than a full tank, condensation forms and the inside of the tank can get rusty. My manager at work swears by Marvel mystery oil for the cylinders that have been sitting. He squirts a little in each cylinder and turns it over by hand. Also, you can make a priming tool out of an old distributor for your oil pump. Priming the oil system would probably be a good idea. Clean the carb with some Chemtool. Degrease the block ( a clean engine will run cooler ). Flush the cooling system. Inspect the belts, hoses, etc. New plugs, wires. Top off the brake fluid and inspect the brakeing system for leaks and worn linings....It's a little more info than you asked for but they are all good things to check before putting it on the road...Good Luck!

[franko72]

The truck I bought sat for four years before I got it. Remove the plugs and put a few squirts of oil in each cylinder.let the oil work for a day or so, replace with new plugs and change the engine oil.disconnect the coil wire from dist.cap and crank the engine a few revolutions. get rid of the old gas in the tank by draining or siphoning. Pour a couple of gallons of gas in tank after old gas is gone.Disconect the fuel line going to the carb.Place a section of garden hose about five feet long over the end of the line.place the other end of hose in a container to catch the old gas. Crank the motor till the new gas flushes through into the container. reconnect fuel line .use carb. gummout spray on carb. linkage. crank the motor till the carb. is primed with new gas. turn off key and reconnect the coil wire, try to start the engine.

[Fred T]

If the gas tank is full of crap, unhook it and stick the hose into a gas can. Suck from that for clean fresh gas.

[CG]

thanks guys .... all good ideas, i appreciate it