This past Saturday, February 18 was a BIG day for me and my truck. After owning it for little over a year and being told it sat for up to 10 years previously, I finally got it running!
Over the last year I changed the oil and gaskets(oiled the cylinders while the oil pan was off), spark plugs, points and condenser, ignition coil, battery cables, rebuilt the Rochester, new fuel pump and filter, and used a 1 gallon gas tank (temporary until I get a new tank) with fresh gas, and lastly a new 12v battery. A few weeks ago I cranked the truck over several times with no luck.
This past weekend with the help of my father and my father-in-law, we figured out that the new points gap needed to be adjusted. Once that was done I jumped in the truck again and this time it started right up! Light smoke came barreling out of the exhaust leaving a huge cloud, but after about 10 minutes it quit. The truck idled really good and ran smooth. I had a grin from ear to ear. Luckily my wife grabbed the video camera and came running out to see the truck idling. This is a day that I will never forget.
I went out today to see if it would start and without any hesitation it fired right up with no cloud of smoke behind it. I have a 12v battery with the original 6v starter and it starts quick! I can't believe something this old that sat for so long can run so smooth and quiet. I can't wait to get this thing on the road!
Thanks to everyone at this site for answering my questions and for posting valuable information about these old bolts. I can honestly say I'm now a die hard Stovebolt fan!
