The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 Stuck

My brother stored his '55 first series pickup for 5 years and when he tried to start it, it won't budge. We pulled it to the top of a small hill and rolled her down and when he released the cltuch, the tires skidded the truck to a halt. It's always been an easy starter and the engine was rebuilt a long time ago. He's always kept the oil full and changed too. Does anybody have any ideas? He took the plugs out and poured in Marvel's mystery oil, but that didn't help. He also can't turn the engine with a big screwdriver on the flywheel teeth either. Any ideas?

Ive heard of some people using transmission fluid.. Not sure if its better than marvel.. Maybe someone will chime in on that.. I used marvel oil in mine. poured it in each cylinder then put a quart in the valve cover. Let it sit for a couple of days and pop the clutch a few times and it freed it up.. Been sitting 18 years.. It did take a few tries to get to unlock though.. Maybe let it sit a while longer and try it again

I use Kroil.
www.kanolabs.com

Ditto on the Kroil. Drain the oil out of the pan and reinstall the plug, then pour 2 or 3 ounces of Kroil into each cylinder. After a week or so, you'll be able to drain the Kroil out of the oil pan and pour it through again.

DO NOT try to roll the truck to free the engine again- - - -if you haven't bent some connecting rods already it's likely to happen the next time. It's also possible to break an axle shaft or hand grenade some transmission gears that way. Put the trans in high gear and gently rock the truck back and forth if you choose, but the best approach is to use a pry bar on the flywheel teeth after taking the clutch inspection cover off the bellhousing. If nothing else works, pull the cylinder head, use a piece of hardwood on top of the pistons and pound it with a big hammer to break the rusted rings loose. If it's stuck that bad, you'll probably need to rebore it, or sleeve a couple of cylinders.
Jerry

I had no idea that you could bend rods so easily! I'll make sure to not do that again. Also, I can never find Kroil around here, and I've heard from many, many folks that is good stuff. I wonder if a valve could be frozen in the guide...or a broken distributor gear or something...

If you're near Nashville, just go to their home office on Thompson Lane and they'll sell you all you can haul away, from a 1-pint spray can to a 55-gallon drum. Kroil is mostly sold to industrial users and the US government, so they don't do a lot of retail merchandising. Every US Air Force facility worldwide where I was stationed used Kroil by the gallon.
Jerry

around here (seattle area) the industrial supply houses have Kroil products. (the places that cater to shipyards [we have shipyards here, its on the ocean] and things like that, with REAL tools, not like home depot or sears)