Barn Fresh

[larryw]

Hi, I'm Larry from southeastern New Hampshire.

Here is 1971 #20334 back out in the light after twenty years in a barn.

Downsides: Interior mouse damage, paint is shot, rotten tires, no clutch, no brakes, carbs all dried out.

Upside: No rust

Oil level was still up on the stick, didn't see any rust on the cam through the oil filler hole. Pulled the spark plugs and pumped in a 50/50 mixture of WD-40 and ATF, let it sit. She cranks, but that first revolution was a toughie. Had to bump the starter several times to get her moving. Spun over pretty good after that. Bit of pus came out of #1 plug hole, there must have been some crud in that one.

I intend to restore all the original systems, get some miles on her and think about upgrades for next winter.

i'll be talking to you all soon.

BTW, the highly desirable fender and door protector strips, his and her sunroof and rear window louvers will be put on eBay as soon as possible.

[cozye]

wow. How come I never find anything like this.

[grnsky]

Great looking find! Look forward to seeing the progress. (:

[psdenno]

Thanks for helping another '71 see the light of day. Keep us posted on the progress.

Dennis

[larryw]

Now up on stands and more thoroughly inspected. Found a couple sins.

Some crash damage right front. Looks like it maybe hit a curb or over a rock? No upper body damage I can see, seems to have taken it where the strut anchors to the frame along with a good a dent on the frame extension under the passenger floor. Repaired, but things still look mildly tweaked.

Picked at a tender looking spot at the rear end of the rocker/inner fender on the drivers side and found some perforation there. Fine on the passenger side.

It appears structurally sound, as is. Time to get going.

[kjohnson2444]

Very nice. Good luck and keep us posted.

[kjohnson2444]

Larry,

If you are planning to get rid of that sunroof, I just found this on Craigslist:

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/pts/2445060385.html

[Jeff G 78]

Drop the fuel tank and clean it. I'm SURE it's full of crud. My 260 spent 15+ years in a barn and it had nasty stuff in it. Replace every rubber fuel system hose as well. They will be rotten and will release debris into the filter, pump, and carbs.

I found it easiest to remove the engine, pull it apart and clean/inspect each component before installing a full gasket set and reinstalling the engine. The whole process can be done in a few days and it will save lots of headaches later.

Good luck with the project.