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Starting a 87 5.0 sitting for 25 years.

SomeStang1

New Member
I will soon be trying to start up a 87 Gt that has been sitting for a little over 25 years. Nothing was wrong with the car when parked and the only mod done to it was a flow master exhaust. I plan on doing a synthetic high mileage oil change with marvel mystery oil, oil filter, new gas with bottle of fuel system cleaner, new battery. Any tips or thoughts on what should be done to get it to proper operating condition again? Thanks!
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
I have a few good tips I've learned from doing this several times. First, pull plugs and give each cylinder a good coat of fogging oil. You can use wd40 or something else, but I've found that fogging oil is very good for this. Get you a large ratchet and 15/16 socket and make sure it isn't locked up. If it will roll over, do a few rotations while adding fogging oil to the cylinders.

Next, pull the distributor (this might give you some issues too. Don't break it trying to get it out. Sometimes the get stuck pretty good!) Get something to use a drill to turn the oil pump shaft. I believe a small socket will work but you'll have to look up the size. It's been a while since I've done it. Be careful not to pull the oil pump shaft out. Turn counter clockwise till you get oil up to the rockers. There's plenty of videos if you need help. It's easy to do, but I can't stress enough on not pulling out the pump shaft lol!

Finally, if you have access to a camera scope, get a good look into the tank. There's a good chance it's full of rust. If you eliminate that problem right off the bat, it will save you tons of headache later. If you have to, go ahead and bite the bullet...drop the tank and have a look. They're not very expensive to replace. Much cheaper and easier than replacing lines, injectors, regulator, etc... along with troubleshooting trying to find ignition problems that are actually from clogged fuel system.

One more quick and easy check before you start: Look at that ignition switch before you get too far. They will come apart just sitting over the years. You can tell if it's good by looking at it and making sure it's not getting loose.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
 
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