I recently purchased a 1953 Chevy 3100 that hasn't been driven in 18 years, but appears to be mostly original parts. I have never worked on cars / trucks before, but I am committed to doing it right and restoring the vehicle as close to original configuration as possible. I intend to strip it to the frame and rebuild the truck, but want to get the engine running before I strip it down for painting / body repairs. I have spent many hours digging into this site and have found a lot of useful information.
Saturday, after many weeks of prep work I finally attempted to start the truck and while the engine never caught and ran after the third time I tried to turn it over I heard a noise and discovered two rocker arms had snapped. After that I did attempt to get some oil in and tapped the cylinders to see if they would move at all. That being said I am going to pull the head off this week, but had two questions. Other than gummed up cylinders is there anything I should be looking for with regards to issues? The fuel system was essentially completely gummed up at the fuel pump and the peacock coming out of the tank (probably from the rust and corrosion inside the tank).
Second does anybody have a source for replacement rocker arms.
I attached two pictures (one of the overall truck the night I got it delivered) and second one I had already loosened the rocker assembly and you can see the busted two rocker arms...(#6 and #7 from the front)
PS I will probably be on this site looking for help a lot.
