1960 Chevy Impala

Fabes468

Active Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Location
Norlina, Nc
Once upon a time, my mom got this car, and we used to run it every once it a while, well, hasn't ran in like 5+ years. So yesterday I was like well that'll be a cool summer cruisin car, so I get to lookin it over and everything looks to be okay. Well I took a wrench to the crank pulley an turned it over a few times. Now in my mind I shouldn't be able to turn it over without taking the plugs out(which I didn't do) due to compression. But I did hear pressure being released somewhere in there. Is this normal?? Okay so After that I took a jump box and turned it over with the starter a few times. Then sprayed a little carb cleaner in there and she hiccuped a little but thats about as far as I got. I never hooked up the gas, but the pump pumped some liquid up passed it. Not sure what's in the tank, gauge reads full tho. Hopefully some of y'all have some experience in Chevys and can give me some pointers. The fact I can turn it over by hand worries me a little, what do yall think?
 
Turning as slow as a wrench would, is probably relieving the comp. before you get a full load. I Would be worried about that 5 yo gas. It should have turned to varnish, by now & gummed everything up! Tank, lines, pump, & carb! Time for some serious cleaning, & Praying!
 
how hard was it to turn over by hand and how long of a wrench were you using? it's normal to be able to turn one by hand, especially if it's been sittin for awhile and the oi has mostly drained down. it should take a good bit of effort to turn it over though. my advice? drain all the gas out of the tank, blow through the lines, plan on changing a fuel pump, the diaphragm may be rotted through and clean the varnish out of the carb. if it does have close to a full tank, that's great, having it full of gas while sitting long term keeps condensation from building up water in the gas tank and helps prevent rusting.
pull the spark plugs and pour either engine oil or atf in the cylinders, let it sit a couple hours, then roll it over by hand with the plugs out to lube the cylinder walls and keep from potentially cracking a ring. if you like, do a compression test and see what it looks like. a fresh oil change would be a good idea before you try starting it again.
from what you said, there's a good chance that you can flush the gas, lube the cylinders, put fresh plugs and oil in it and it just might run.
Good Luck!!
 
Cool. Turning it over was a breeze. Helped a buddy with a v6 last year that hadnt ran in a while and was no where near as hard to turn as his was. Right now I have the fuel line disconnected and was going to run some fresh gas/seafoam mix out of a jug for a while just to try and clean things out. I bought two Oil filters and an air Filter yesterday. Will run detergent oil the first few times and then switch to non-detergent(what do yall think?) I will pull and inspect the plugs today and more than likely get a set when i pick up the air filter(didnt have it in stock), along some new plug wires. Depends on how bad they look. Thanks for the responses!
 
The motor will turn over by hand. I've never met a motor I couldn't turn with a wrench with little problem. Good compression on that motor is probably around 120 psi, so it's not like it's building much. Pulling the plugs and lubing the cylinders would have been a good idea before you jumped it, but it would be a waste of time now. You've already pushed oil through the motor with the oil pump. Any damage that could have been done from dry cranking it over rust has been done. Might as well keep going with it. Change the oil, throw in some 10-30 and be done with it. Don't run non-detergent. I can't think of a good reason for that at all. I wouldn't waste my money on good oil, either. Run the house brand and any filter but Fram. That motor's already old and abused, it'll be happy with just about anything you put in it. Drain the tank, replace the soft fuel lines, clean the hard lines thoroughly. I'd drop the tank and clean it out, too.
 
Cranked it the other day! Runs like a champ. Going to get some tires, drain the old gas out, and see how she drives. Will prolly replace most, if not all suspension parts, especially the rubber parts. Any suggestion to which brand? Raspestos, moog, etc?
 
MOOG, no doubt about it, post some pics if you can.
 
UPDATE!

Took her out today for a little joy ride. First time she has been on the rd since '07. So far I have only put in a new gas tank. Will need to go through the brakes next(pulls hard to the right when braking and something feels stuck when first accelerating). Also the carb leaks gas :0 maybe an upgrade is in order? Slight tick is still there too, sounds like a lifter. Hopefully just needs an adjustment. Will change the diff fluid and spark plugs/wires when I have time. Included a few pics this time. She's not clean, just hosed off, so don't hate ;)
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beautiful ride!
 
Sweet ride!
 
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