My father gave me this car and it has been in storage for about 7 years. Any suggestions on how to get it started? What are the proper procedures: any help would be great!

If it was running when stored fuel may not be a big problem. Give a squirt of spray oil like WD40 down each plug hole then pull the distributor and the rocker cover and prime it. Start turning the oil pump with a drill then once you have oil to the top, start turning the engine over untill it all show oil. Replace the distributor and have a go at it.

You WON'T be able to turn the oil pump with the distributor out as the oil pump drives the distributor with a gear attached to it running off the cam. Unlike most of the newer V8's that has the distributor run the oil pump as the gear is on the distributor.

Tom T.

Ok, so I went to the storage unit. Changed all fluids, spark plugs and battery. The engine sounds like it is ready to turn over, but doesnt. Any suggestions?

what is it doing? just clicking sounds or slow turnover? If you think its stuck, take off the bottom clutch flywheel cover and use a prybar or something on starter ring gear to see if the motor will turn at all. If it doesnt turn you will havto squirt some rust buster oil in each cylinder.

Well its finally alive! Now my problem is overheating. I have read that a lot of people switch it to a 12V and put a electric fan to help cooling? Anyways, my problem is that anitfreeze spews from the radiator as soon as the car is shut off. Could this be because there is no overflow container, and if so, is there a mod to add one? I really dont want to invest in switching it to a 12V at this time, so any other suggestions to help with the overflowing?

Well its finally alive! Now my problem is overheating. I have read that a lot of people switch it to a 12V and put a electric fan to help cooling? Anyways, my problem is that anitfreeze spews from the radiator as soon as the car is shut off. Could this be because there is no overflow container, and if so, is there a mod to add one? I really dont want to invest in switching it to a 12V at this time, so any other suggestions to help with the overflowing?

sounds like a blown headgasket. not unusual for a car sitting for long periods. 12 v isnt always needed, just check all starter connections, especially the grounds. while the head is off, have it and the radiator checked by a reliable shop

Overheating in '39s was not all that unusual. Of course the first thing is have the radiator flushed to make sure the water is flowing OK. I have a '39 here in Florida where it is now in the 90's every day. I have controlled the problem (mostly) by having the radiator re-cored and a new neck soldered on so it will accept a 7 lbs. pressure cap. This helps, but is not a total cure. Also, I have an electric fan in front of the radiator which helps, but still in heavy traffic at 90 degrees, it gets hot. By the way, my '39 is still running on 6 volts. I bought a 6 volt fan, if you would like I can look up where I bought it. One thing to remember is that these 6 volt fans will draw nearly 15 Amps when running, so you do not want to have a lot of other accessories on at the time.
Gary

Gary,

Thanks...it would be great if you could look up the supplier for the 6 volt fan. Thanks for the help everyone.

http://scottscoolingfans.com

At least it's a phone number to call.:thumbsup:

Overheating in '39s was not all that unusual. Of course the first thing is have the radiator flushed to make sure the water is flowing OK. I have a '39 here in Florida where it is now in the 90's every day. I have controlled the problem (mostly) by having the radiator re-cored and a new neck soldered on so it will accept a 7 lbs. pressure cap. This helps, but is not a total cure. Also, I have an electric fan in front of the radiator which helps, but still in heavy traffic at 90 degrees, it gets hot. By the way, my '39 is still running on 6 volts. I bought a 6 volt fan, if you would like I can look up where I bought it. One thing to remember is that these 6 volt fans will draw nearly 15 Amps when running, so you do not want to have a lot of other accessories on at the time.
Gary

I helped my 39 overheating by blocking the big air gap below the radiator and front crossmember with a piece of sheetmetal . found that when driving at highway speed it would overheat, but slowing it cooled. I blocked open the back of my hood a little on each side and found the heat went down [lotta heat came out from there]. Seems like the incoming air under the car was causing an air block,[no louvers on hood sides] slowin cooling air thru the radiator, actually causing a hi pressure area. Blocking the airgap made all the air go thru the grille and radiator not under the rad. Anyway it doesnt heat up like it used to.[more louvers inside engine compartment would help]