Hey all. Back after a ten year absence- my wife’s health crashed just as I was about to get this project started. My 75 last ran in ‘99 on the road and for a brief 10-15 minutes in ‘02. After that she sat in a garage for 15 more years - then regrettably out in a field for 5. Time has taken its toll in terms of more rust and the plastic pieces of the interior. Yet she remains.

Despite repeated scoffing and people telling me to junk her I held on. Then about four years ago the attitudes of others changed. “You selling her? What’ll you take for her?”

My work is cut out for me but I’m having the last laugh. This will be no picnic, they’ll be times when I’ll be overwhelmed- no doubt. But getting rid of her was never an option. The process is started. She’s been pushed next to the shop and is up on blocks. She now has an appropriate car tarp to protect her from further weather damage.

Stage one was to meticulously clean out the, you guessed it, mouse nests. From behind the carburetor and the bell housing she was shoved full of fibers, straw, and nuts. What a mess.



The mice did their darndest.

With a combination of compressed air, picks, and shop vac I freed her up. As soon as she was cleaned it was time for an early moment of truth. Would her engine even turn? Found the right ratchet size and put some muscle into it and was rewarded by her indeed turning.



Flywheel cleaned and freed up.

Engine cleaned and turned over by hand.

Her oil was still clear, and she still had other fluids as well; though they’re definitely getting changed. My priority while she’s up on blocks is to get her running, drop the tranny seal and redo it, replace a rear spring; then get her off and towed to my mechanic to have her brake lines done. They’re easily the age of the car.
Anyhow I’ll be updating this post and I look forward to ANY advice except for advice telling me to get rid of her - that I’ll cheerfully ignore.

 

Nice one- following along!
End result will reward even if the journey there sometimes feel long and unreachable.

 

^wise words- and thank you so much!

 

I hooked up a new battery to see if she’d turn over. I’d finished cleaning away the nests, the engine turned by hand. Nothing. The starter wouldn’t budge. It was shot. Several days later a new starter arrived. Tested. She turned over on her own for the first time in years. I wanted to see if she would fire so I poured some gas in the carb. Success! She gave a couple of turns. I suspected the fuel sock in the long empty tank had shriveled but I wondered - could I coax it back to some life by pouring a few gallons in the empty tank? I doubted it but I tried anyway. Then after a few hours I tried again. The result is in the video.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdjTRd8T/

Olds starting attempt 3

 

Its an ambitious project Good luck and dont get discouraged...like eating an elephant....one bite at a time

 

thank you so much! I truly appreciate that.

 

‘75 update: The less glamorous side of restoration. The rear passenger spring cracked at some point in its life so I ordered new springs. Got the old one out but the rented tool was too small to grab the spring properly - and this is NOT something you want to fool around with. So hopefully tomorrow I’ll get the set of two outside style spring compressors. Not worth rushing this until I can do it right and safely.

 

You are wise to work safely.

Maybe you've already done this, unbolting one end of the shock absorber and raising the body will release practically all of the tension on the rear spring.

 

I actually have -not- done that and that makes a TON of sense. Thank you!

 

Small victories- the new rear springs are IN! Got the tools from harbor freight: $25 not bad.

 

Nice work, definitely following along. Good luck!

 

Thank you so much!