The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1949,216,3800,1ton starting point

the tag on the truck is from 78,i drained the oil,have poured something down plug holes to help things along. the prouduct is to help cylinders. my friend did get it to turn over before i drained the oil. that said i need a very simple plan to make run. #1 to whatever. it has five windows. in wi.
thank you so much in advance

I am writing not because I have alot to offer but I would like you to feel better. You are not alone in this task and it can be difficult. I am going through the same thing.

Just take it one step at a time. If you got the engine turning that is a great first step. Now just take it one step at a time. Make sure oil is flowing. Make sure fuel is pumping. Make sure you have spark. If at any point something is not right track it back and fix what is missing. Then move on to the next. Don't try to rush the process. If it seems like everything is right send a shot of ether down the carb and crank it over. See what it does. Adjust, tune, rinse, repeat.

Eric

Okay,

What Eric said. Slow and methodical.

1. get shop manual, or print from online (so you can stand there and read it at the truck while dirty.

2. get a good handle on what you have. Is it still 6v? Are all the parts there? (distributor, coil, blah, blah blah)

3. take out plugs/remove valve cover squirt oil all over the rockers and valves and let it run down the pushrods.

4.turn engine over by hand, watch to see that all the valves are moving.

5.go to FLAPS, buy a dizzy cap, rotor, points, condensor, plugwires, rebuild kit for your carb (you'll need the number off of the tag), a clear see through fuel filter and a couple of feet of 5/16" fuel hose.

6. instal the junk you just bought, follow the directions in the shop manual for doing so

7. see if the fuel tank is clean and has no holes. if it isn't, connect the fuel pump to a jerry can with a piece of fuel line hose. if it's not bad, cut the steel line coming out of the tank, install the see through filter you just bought, cut out a section of steel line, and place the filter in, with the hose at either end. You bought some hose clamps right?

8. clean out fuel pump screen (described in shop manual)

9. verify the ignition timing. Rotate the engine by hand until the number one cylinder is coming up on compression ( easy to see with the valve cover off) stop rotating the engine when the steel BB lines up with the pointer on the flywheel window. If you don't have a pointer, the middle of the window is where you want to be, sometimes the pointer is bent. Stick your volt-ohm-meter across the dizzy points, loosen the dizzy clamp, and rotate the dizzy so the points are just losing contact at this point. Tighten clamp. Make sure that the plug wires are on the cap the right way. (All this is in the shop manual too)

10. shove the plugs in. (you gapped them, right?)

11. Connect the CHARGED battery up.

12. Turn the key, hit the starter. You might want to put a little gas down the carb (not much, maybe a few teaspoons)

If it doesn't start, or cough, take out the plugs, and make sure you have spark.

Oh, make sure you put some oil in there too!!

The most important thing, is the shop manual, salvation lies within. It's got all the answers, but, sometimes its nice to hear the information from someone else. The shop manual also does assume that you sort of know what you are doing.

Stovebolt is great though, its the reason I originally bought a Chevy, instead of an old Ford. Its just so easy to own one with a place like this.