I've joined this forum to get some advice on a project car my Dad and I are working on.

Dad bought the Zap Colour car new in 1972 but when I was born in 1980 he stopped driving it. It then sat for nearly 30 years at my grandparents' until we decided to restore it. However as you might imagine the car's engine refuses to turn over.

We have tried to turn over by hand with a socket on the HB and poored WD40 in all cylinders for a period of time. When we try and rock the car in gear it doesn't seem to roll either. We have also tried a new battery and the starter tries to turn but not enough grunt to turn engine over. We know all electrics are fine on the car and working.

Any suggestions out there regarding techniques to try to turn the car over would be appreciated.

I have also hear about a product called Marvel Mystery Oil, and this may help to free up the engine. Have any of you had sucess using this product in this manner, and do any Australian members know where I can buy it here?

Thanks in advance

1. Remove plugs and spray solvent into the cylinders.. fill em up. PB Blaster will work well.  ATF and acetone 50/50 is  even better. Run oil over the valves, remove and clean oiler bar with Throttle body cleaner (careful with gaskets). Drain gas (check for rust). Slosh some Acetone in tank if no rust (to clean out gum). Clean all electrical connections.

2. Let it set for a week.

3. Try turning at crank again with a long breaker bar or pipe on the crank nose socket ~2' to 3'

4. If it is still seized, tow the Z behind another truck/car (make sure brakes and clutch work) Go slow ~ 5/10mph and simply keep it in 5th/4th and let the clutch out when moving to grab the wheels. Then push clutch in. Do this a few times and it should work fine.

5. Try turning over at crank again.

6. If it turns drain oil and replace. Oil the cam again.

7. Turn over at starter with plugs out. Make sure all valves move smoothly under cam lobes. Make sure oil is pumped out of oil bar evenly on all lobes (if not, remove and clean oil bar). Note: It takes ~ 45sec of cranking to get oil up to the head.

8. Change distributor cap and rotor and plugs (NGK brand) and wires (NGK)

9. Check Rad fluid levels

10 . Check for spark and fuel flow

11. Start it up.

12. Replace all fluids, hoses, check brakes, clutch, EFI components, tires, etc.

13 Enjoy

Edited October 8, 20159 yr by Blue

Yea, what he said.

Here's another thread on this. The process outlined above and in this thread have resurrected several Z motors.

Waking the sleeping beast?

Thanks for the fast response will see if I can get some Bp blaster. If not is ATF really safe to use? Thanks

PB is good for mild rust in the bores. ATF is good for de-gunking the rings.

Marvel Mystery Oil is my potion of choice. Put some in the fuel to get lube in the rest of the intake. Be sure to clean out the tank before you start it or you'll create more problems than you knew you had. And if you try to tow it, be dang sure the brake system is working!

My dad used to use coke from a bottle to eat away the rust in cylinders. Swore by it.

Leonard, I bet the Coke worked because of the phosphoric acid. I wonder whether a bit of phosphoric acid (without the sugar) would work a bit better still. I think once the engine broke loose, I would neutralize with baking soda, suck out any fluid from the cylinders with a small tube on the end of a wet vac, spray the cylinders liberally with WD-40, and drain the crankcase immediately. I've never tried it, obviously!

Thanks for the tips, how long should I leave the ATF once in the cylinders before trying to turn? Thanks again

I'm sure I am stating the obvious but once you put fluids in the cylinders do not put spark plugs back in until you get it to turn over. You don't want to cause a hydrostatic lock and cause further damage to the engine/head. My 72 engine seized while being stored and we could never get it to break free. I finally had to tear it down and go 10 over to clean up the wall damage. jlp

Could be Sarah, I remember in high school putting a piece of meat in a petri dish and putting coke on it. About 2 days it was a disgusting mess. Nasty stuff. That's why pepsi was invented;)

Thanks plugs are out and will top up more ATF today. There is plenty of coke in Australia not much pepsi. If I use coke it might not make it to the car