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By Big6ft6 - 14 Years Ago
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Ok. So engine has new oil, and I think I'll change out the coolant to be safe. But what else? The car is a 56 customline. Been sitting mostly undriven for 40 years. Lots of grease/oil splattered under the car but doesn't seem to leak/drip at all after running on jack stands. Should I add any lube to the tranny? it is a manual tranny, what lube does it use and how do I add it? What about rear-end fluid? I don't see a drain plug on the differential how easy is it to change the rear end fluid? Any other ideas before the maiden voyage?
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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The rear axle plug is on the bottom.3/8 drive ratchet should fit right in.I would check the trans fluid level and see how much is in there.What I would do is run it on the stands and warm up the trans and rear axle and then drain and refill before actually taking it on a road test.The accumulated oil and grease on frame is actually not a bad thing.Preserves the floor and frame.
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By Big6ft6 - 14 Years Ago
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Thanks Old car...that sounds like a good idea. What fluid does the trans use? I suppose it is all listed in the repair manual...I'll look it up. yes...I think the thick layer of grim is th eonly reason the car still exists....every place without the grease coating it is rusted out!
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By The Master Cylinder - 14 Years Ago
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Nate, I believe the trans and rear end use 80/90 wt gear oil.
What about the brakes? Do they work at all? After sitting 40 years I wold imagine they might need some attention before you drive it? At least check/flush the fluid. Brake fluid has an affinity for moisture (water) which causes corrosion or at the very least lowers the boiling point of brake fluid.
And, as usual, this is just my 1¢ worth.
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By Big6ft6 - 14 Years Ago
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Master C - yes the brakes are the final question. I've loosened up all the drums so they turn I've filled up the master cyliner (it was dry :w00t and I blead the back brakes and pushed quite hard on the pedal. This was a few months ago...I assumed there was a leak somewhere, but so far not a drop has come out?? Not sure why the dry master cyliner. In any case I plan to change the brakes out eventually, but I'm hopoing the existing brakes allow me to drive the car from the storage facility to my house. However I won't know how well they really work until I can get the car moving a little....I know be careful! No tailgating that is fore sure.
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By Big6ft6 - 14 Years Ago
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So I check my repair manual, yep SAE 80 for the manual trans and "M-4642" or SAE 90 in the rear end. So the repair manual fails to explain how to drain the tranny fluid? The exploded diagram shows a "fill plug" floating in the air near the front of the tranny but not sure where it goes? How do I check the manual trans fluid? How do I drain it? How do I fill it?
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By paul2748 - 14 Years Ago
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Big6ft6 (4/11/2011)
So I check my repair manual, yep SAE 80 for the manual trans and "M-4642" or SAE 90 in the rear end.
So the repair manual fails to explain how to drain the tranny fluid? The exploded diagram shows a "fill plug" floating in the air near the front of the tranny but not sure where it goes?
How do I check the manual trans fluid? How do I drain it? How do I fill it?
How to drain? - There should be a plug on the bottom of the trans, maybe similar to the one in the rear.
You fill it and check the level by another plug located on the side of the trans. It should be filled to the bottom of the of the fill plug hole. You check it by sticking your finger in the fill plug hole.
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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Oil that is identified 80/90 is good for both trans and rear axle.
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By Big6ft6 - 14 Years Ago
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alright...I did as everyone said....and I drove her out of the garage! Can't wait to get her titled and insured so I can actually drive on the street and see what it is like going around a corner! It felt more like driving a tractor than the cars I'm used to...the clutch pedal travel is hillariously long! And I'm 6'6" tall so get my strting-bean legs in concert and keepin' the knees out of the way of the steering wheel is quite a site! The video isn't that great...in the dark...but it is the Maiden Voyage (for me anyway) I'll get better video when I actually get to drive it on the street. Plus the dark hides the rust and the headliner falling down inside the car and the yellow glue where the dashpad used to be. The valve covers are off the car right now...so you get a good listen to the valvetrain! http://youtu.be/tzm3Vaa3-TU
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By Frankenstein57 - 14 Years Ago
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Nate, good job -the video was cool. Mark
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By Metal Ghost - 14 Years Ago
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Hi all. 1st off, congrats on the maiden voyage Big and for sharing it with us! That's always a very exciting time. 2nd, I had a quick question and didn't see the need to start a brand new thread....coincedentally this one seemed to fit quite well, though the amount of time sitting is drastically different! I just got my '55 out of storage last weekend. Flushed the radiator and changed the oil (+ a quart of Lucas) right before putting her away for the winter. She sat for about 5, maybe 6 months. Do you guys here recommend immediately changing the oil again, or can that wait for a bit?
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By Big6ft6 - 14 Years Ago
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Ghost, I don't know the correct answer, but I can tell you that I store a couple cars every winter and I don't change the oil each spring. Based on the miles I put on them I'd be changing the oil every 200 miles if I changed the oil each spring ( I know I need to drive 'em more). For my sake, I hope the answer that you get from others is that you don't need to change your oil!
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By HT32BSX115 - 14 Years Ago
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Howdy,
I would probably treat any car that isn't driven much (and parked for long periods of time) like I do my boat.
Change the oil at the end of the "season" (once a year).
That way, you don't have contaminated oil sitting in the engine all winter.
There'd be no reason to change again in the spring......(the engine hasn't been run!!)
As for the trans and axle, I would just get any brand of SAE 75W-90 gear oil and change both.
If the engine sat for a LONG TIME, I would probably pull the dist and turn the oil pump (CCW) with a hand crank or variable speed drill to prelube the engine.
Loved the video!!
Rick
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By Frankenstein57 - 14 Years Ago
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Boats are a completely different deal, alot of moisture and suspect seals. A car in storage depends on where you are storing it, and temps, humidity. I think dumping perfectly good oil just because it sat awhile is nonsense. Run last years oil till you get to 2500-3000 then change it.
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By Metal Ghost - 14 Years Ago
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I'm glad to hear that guys! I know I've read some people saying that condensation can build up over the winter, and that is why changing the oil first thing is good, but I can't imagine that a relatively short stint (i.e. 5-6 months) would do anything detrimental to the oil or allow for excessive condensation that wouldn't be burnt off very quickly. In the end I'll probably change the oil a bit sooner than my normal routine, but I didn't want to feel guilty in the meantime!!
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By HT32BSX115 - 14 Years Ago
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I know I've read some people saying that condensation can build up over the winter, and that is why changing the oil first thing is good, but I can't imagine that a relatively short stint
If you don't run the engine over the winter then NO condensation "builds up". And some people think that condensation in fuel tanks is a "Myth"
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/myth_of_condensation_in_fuel_tanks.htm
The worst thing you can do with ANY engine whether it's a Y-block, marine or any other engine, is start it up and run it briefly "to keep the battery up" etc.
That will absolutely put condensation in the crankcase which will end up in the oil.
If you're going to start it and run it you should drive it long enough to get up to operating temp (long enough to completely heat the oil and evaporate the moisture).
Boats are a completely different deal, alot of moisture and suspect seals.
Not really....it depends on where you park it. I park mine in the garage right next to my Y-block. It doesn't experience any more moisture than the other engines sitting in the same garage.....but the "stuff" I don't use during winter gets the oil changed before I park it.....
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