engine and drivetrain Rip Von Wolfgang Awakens After A 5 Year Slumber

[Mike Self]

After sitting since 2008, I finally decided that Wolfgang, my '69 needed to be driven some before the snow flies here in Ohio.  Bought a new battery and connected it; primed the carb through the vent pipe in the float chamber (a nifty trick on the one bbl Solexes), gave it a shot of ether...and it turned over VERY slowly--not enough to fire the engine.  

 

After a bunch of head scratching (newly refurbished starter installed last year) I finally realized that I had done too good a job of prettifying the starter and its mounting bracket.  I painted over the spot where the battery ground strap attaches to the bracket, and where the bracket bolts to the block.  New, sharp lock washers and some wrench twisting and it started right up--on 5 year old gas!  Added a little coolant and off I went.

 

More amazingly everything worked except the left tail light--fixed by wiggling the fuse.  So I'll get a few more weeks of 02-ing before the Salt Fairy arrives--might even hit 224k.  

 

Never ceases to amaze me how well these cars come back to life after a long sleep, even without any particular storage preperation--mine included removing the battery, putting the shifter in first, retracting the antenna and covering with two old queen-size bedspreads.   

 

cheers

mike

[dasfrogger]

Glad to hear Wolfgang is back on the road! I still need to make it up to your neck of the woods before it gets too cold - hope to see you soon!