Bring Your Barn Find Back To Life
Yeah, we know; it is extremely rare and extremely lucky for someone to stumble upon a classic car that has been gathering dust (instead of miles) for the past few decades. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s impossible to say exactly what condition a barn find will be in, as it can range from anything between a new battery and fresh spark plugs right through to a complete restoration from the tyres up.
However, no matter how long the hidden gem in question may have been sat around, there are a few rudimental things you can try to get it running again, and few more to give it that sparkle it once had.
The Big Three
Quite simply these are fuel, spark and air. Following this rule, the first thing you should do is check the fuel tank for any form of drainage plug. If it has, pull it out. Fuel that has been sat in a tank for years on end should not be pumped into an engine under any circumstances. Stale fuel doesn’t burn properly, and that’s because it has been contaminated by two things; condensation in the tank and sediment from oxidation. Of course, it may be that there is no plug, in which case you’re going to need to siphon out the fuel.
The spark refers to two main parts; the battery and the plugs. Don’t mess about with the ones that have been sat rotting under the hood; pull them out and recycle them. Power is going to be your biggest chance of getting an unused engine to turn over after so many years of nothing. So chuck in a new battery and a fresh set of spark plugs, as well as a new distributor cap and wires too. If these parts have been shot to bits by time then they won’t burn the fuel properly, and you really need that to happen.
Finally, air. Ask anyone with any knowledge of engines and they will tell you that air is critical because all engines need to breathe. Depending on the amount of time the vehicle in question has been sitting there, it may not be worth checking the current filter or intake system. You’re probably better off just replacing them before you even try and start it up. Trust us on that one.
Time To Shine
The first thing you’ll want to do is replace the tyres, not least because the ones still on there will either be flat or unsafe. However, this is your time to restore the car back to its former glory. So do your research. If the vehicle is a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette that originally had whitewall tyres, go out and by some whitewalls for it. The other thing you should do to restore it to its full glory is get it resprayed or, if funds are a little tight, why not look into car wrapping; it’s a surefire way to turn heads once she’s roaring again.
