62 Belvedere 318 poly granny cruiser (one day i hope)

[icetech]

So i assume this is the right spot to post some progress as it slowly comes and ask questions?
The car, 1962 Belvedere 2dr, 318poly has been sitting since around 1980 (i found a registration from '77 and believe it..

I just got the car home today, the motor is locked which i stressed about at work all day, got home and ran a bore scope down the cylinders, 4 cyls with surface rust, 2 look like it ran yesterday and 2 are around TDC, couldn't see much. Mixed up 50/50 ATF/Acetone and filled the cyls, VERY optimistic at this point Will give it a day or 2 and free it or fill em again. I was expecting scaly death but was happily surprised

The car is odd, it really feels like it was just parked a month ago, even the washer fluid bag is still totally flexible and intact, and due to what looks like quite a long valve cover leak nothing is very rusty under hood even. (although now my brain goes to OMG what if it's seized due to oil starvation and a spun bearing!) I always see the worst case... time will tell..

Decided to test the electrical system, no battery just a charger to see what would light up... got nothing, totally dead, look down the positive cable.. No starter... well.. great Put power on the proper wire, radio came on... and most things worked

Now to some questions... (i haven't touched a car in 20 years and my brain is mush.. gonna be a lot of questions as i go)

As far as a starter goes, If i remember right BB and SB starters are the same? so if i buy a new one i won't be throwing money away correct? if i swap later i mean... Also, any reason to get a mini over a $36 rock auto special? i'm not going to do headers or anything other than a quiet driver car..

Any chance anyone makes patch panels for quarters? I am pretty sure i can hammer some since it's not compound but would rather go the easy way (and i'm 99% sure no one makes em) I HATE bodywork! just sayin...

K.. heres some pics of the car, pretty much every panel needs some work, might try to find someone reasonable near detroit to handle the paint, not looking for show, just 1 color and shiny...
Also another question at the bottom

Car came with arizona fenders also... so that's good.. Seller took some seriously strategic pics or i prolly would have kept looking at other cars. Upside, the floor looks like day 1, same with engine bay (except at the top of a shock tower, some bubbling coming through, i think i can grind it out and just fill with weld, it's that small), trunk has 2 holes i will have to patch, but that's cake.


K.. so another couple of quick questions... Guy gave me with the car, a pair of a110 seats but i can't find a part # on the mounts and they honestly almost look homemade but i have never seen real ones before.. I will say though.. they are instanely light, i never knew..
Also a hood scoop he said was an original and it seems much thicker than most aftermarket i have seen, but didn't take a good pic yet..

 

[Jerry Hall]

I have used Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders with success on lightly locked engines.

 

[icetech]

I have used Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders with success on lightly locked engines.

I was going to go that route but some people swore the ATF/Acetone works better.. if it doesn't then i'll go with marvel

 

[Jerry Hall]

When I finally got my grandfather's last new car the Hemi was locked from 40 years of sitting. Pulled the plugs and added some mystery oil to all the cylinders. The next day I rocked the engine back and forth with a pull handle on the crank. It freeded up, so I turned it by hand until there were no tight spots. Then I turned it with the starter until it built oil pressure and I got most of the Mystery oil out of the cylinders. Then I was able to start the engine. You need to be outside when you are able to start it, unless you have a good exhaust fan to remove the white smoke.

 

[icetech]

View attachment 1293866
When I finally got my grandfather's last new car the Hemi was locked from 40 years of sitting. Pulled the plugs and added some mystery oil to all the cylinders. The next day I rocked the engine back and forth with a pull handle on the crank. It freeded up, so I turned it by hand until there were no tight spots. Then I turned it with the starter until it built oil pressure and I got most of the Mystery oil out of the cylinders. Then I was able to start the engine. You need to be outside when you are able to start it, unless you have a good exhaust fan to remove the white smoke.

Well that gives me hope I'm not too worried bout the mechanical stuff, if it's trash there is a 383 with cable shift trans near me for $700 right now.. would rather stay original is all The rust repair and body work has me so stressed i got 3 hours of sleep last night (i will calm down, i obsess about things bad)

So.. last night i was looking at what i'm going to have to do to remove the silly amount of trim since i am 99% sure i will have to get a whole repaint, i was expecting to find the little Acorn nuts on studs that i have always seen, but this trim just seems to be held in with a tube that is half cut away? Is there a barb or something that holds it? (There was undercoating where i looked so couldn't see, and don't want to force anything.

I have decided to focus on one spot at a time and work back to front, todays plan is to remove the rear bumper and gas tank (stinking up my garage), make a plan to fix some spots in the trunk and trunk extensions (not sure if i want to patch whats there or replace them totally) and take my time.. i am bad about rushing Plus.. ordering a plasma cutter and flux welder (i have a normal mig but it is garbage and i hate dealing with gas refills.. been researching flux and if done properly it won't be an issue)

 

[ckessel]

Maybe start it when its dark outside so no one can see the big cloud being generated. Great purchase there. Keep at it.

 

[33 IMP]

Go with a mini starter, it cranks faster. Seat brackets aren't factory, I know nothing about the seats.
No 62 ever got a factory hood scoop, not even the maxwedges. What you have there is an aftermarket 63/64 maxwedge scoop. A lot of them got put on 62s.

 

[abloch]

Go pick up a starter from your local NAPA and get the "lifetime warranty" version. I went through three of them before I got a good one. As far as the trim is concerned most of it should be held on with a few strategic PAL nuts on the ends and the rest are push in clips.

The hood scoop was available for the '63 so it may be "original" but not to '62. (what 33 IMP said)

 

[33 IMP]

Agree, get a lifetime warranty starter. (Probably won't find an original Mopar gear reduction with a great warranty ). Be aware, a lifetime warrantee is for the lifetime of the company that sold you the starter.
I bought a couple lifetime parts for my dually pickup, that only lasted two years. And that was a year and a half longer than the company I bought them from.......
Also, agree on the clips for trim. I had several missing, on my 62 savoy, but found a package of clips that could be modified to work perfectly, on a clip rack at my local Napa. Dirt cheap too! I can find a pic and part # if you need it.....
We few and far between 62 owners have to stick together!

 

[icetech]

Go pick up a starter from your local NAPA and get the "lifetime warranty" version. I went through three of them before I got a good one. As far as the trim is concerned most of it should be held on with a few strategic PAL nuts on the ends and the rest are push in clips.

The hood scoop was available for the '63 so it may be "original" but not to '62. (what 33 IMP said)

View attachment 1294035

AHHH thank you!! it must be that one, i assume you can gently squeeze and push it out? I don't know why, but removing all this trim stresses me, all my old cars like challengers and such never had this much (cept my 64 polara which i never had to remove)

BTW.. i know this isn't a lot of trim.. i follow a guy on youtube that spliced 2 '60 furys and made and amazing car (which is weeks from being done after years..) for anyone that hasn't seen it, one of my favorite channels, just old stoners having fun, the guy does really great work though.

 

[icetech]

Agree, get a lifetime warranty starter. (Probably won't find an original Mopar gear reduction with a great warranty ). Be aware, a lifetime warrantee is for the lifetime of the company that sold you the starter.
I bought a couple lifetime parts for my dually pickup, that only lasted two years. And that was a year and a half longer than the company I bought them from.......
Also, agree on the clips for trim. I had several missing, on my 62 savoy, but found a package of clips that could be modified to work perfectly, on a clip rack at my local Napa. Dirt cheap too! I can find a pic and part # if you need it.....
We few and far between 62 owners have to stick together!

I looked last night and a stock starter at rock auto is like $36... i mean.. a quart of trans fluid is $10 but a whole starter.. $36... what a world I will prolly just go with that to get this thing going if i get it unlocked. I just couldn't recall if the big block/small block were the same... i think even the 90's V6 starters fit the v8 don't they?

P.S. new welder,plasma cutter and some other tools ordered... fun times

 

[icetech]

K, a little progress today, removed the gas tank.. inside was nasty, but sending unit wire/little boot were fine, the wiring in this car is still pretty flexible and in great shape luckily.
Also removed the rear bumper which took a hour and a half, a lot of deep creep and working the bolts back and forth, being a michigan car they weren't happy and i didn't want to take a chance of breaking a bolt and wasn't sure if the captive nut could break loose... Arms are tired

this car has a lot of surface rust spots coming through the paint, i wish i could stop it without grind/destroying the paint.. it's just gonna be a driver but i want to try to stop any rust i can.

in the other pics it's the corners, obviously i need to cut out the bad stuff and replace with metal, but not sure how well i will be able to get to the inside of those corners, i had no idea they welded them on like this. I have a lot of spots where seams meet that have some bubbling in the seam, All i can think to do on spots like that is pick out all the bad stuff and por15 or use some rust converter..
So.. not a lot done today OH.. the motor! will make another post...

 

[icetech]

Ok.. so the motor, last night i filled all the cyls with 50/50 ATF/Acetone, motor still locked tight when i was done tonight i decided to grab the bore scope and take a peek, The left bank all the fluid was gone and past the pistons which makes me happy but might not mean much... At least 2 of the cyls are clean and i cant see crosshatch which is nice.
I went to the right bank and cyls 2 and 6 were still half full of fluid so i think i found my problem holes. I topped them up and will give them a day or 2.. after that i will suck out what's in there and try marvel (which i can't seem to find locally, it used to be everywhere)

So.. holding out hope still One thing i'm grateful for is this motor leaked oil BAD but.. no rusty bolts and everything comes apart easily, i was afraid it would be scaly old rust and locked together but nope

Last thing.. While the floors before the rear end are perfect, from the start of the wheel wells back are very surface rusty, nothing bad though.. so i'm 99% sure i will be pulling the rear end since it's only a few bolts and wire wheel/por 15.. or some type of rust convertor then painting the floor black just to protect it and make it look decent.

Don't know if anyone will actually read all of this.. but there it is

 

[abloch]

you are correct, all the starters interchange. At $36 bucks + shipping for a starter that may or may not work why not buy locally? That way you can just return it if it doesn't work. Quality parts are getting harder to come by these days. (my 2 cents)

https://1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/welcome.html

Shop/parts manual
https://mymopar.com

Trim clips that you will need!
https://www.restorationspecialties.com

Vans has fuel tanks and sending units. They claim the tanks are galvanized. I can not personally vouch for the sending units but I have read a few good reviews. (if you choose to go the replacement route) The fuel lines are easy to replace also.
https://vansauto.com

 

[icetech]

you are correct, all the starters interchange. At $36 bucks + shipping for a starter that may or may not work why not buy locally? That way you can just return it if it doesn't work. Quality parts are getting harder to come by these days. (my 2 cents)

https://1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/welcome.html

Shop/parts manual
https://mymopar.com

Trim clips that you will need!
https://www.restorationspecialties.com

Vans has fuel tanks and sending units. They claim the tanks are galvanized. I can not personally vouch for the sending units but I have read a few good reviews. (if you choose to go the replacement route) The fuel lines are easy to replace also.
https://vansauto.com

Thank you so much for the tips, and i need a tank and sending unit for sure ! And OMFG.... 40 year old gas... i parked my jeep next to it in the garage last night and all i can smell is varnish. I had kept the 2 pads from the top of the tank as they were perfect, didn't realize the smell... it's soo bad.

Soo.. heres something fun... i got the original title for the car when i bought it which will technically make me the second owner.. But my sister being smart went on michigans DMV page and found that if someone has been dead for awhile you need their estate to sign off on the title.. sooo i went into full panic mode.. BUT... i actually found the guy he' still alive and super nice! 88 and kickin ***.. We talked for bout 5 minutes about the car and even better news, he parked it cause he got a new car in like 1978 (he couldn't recall) he was going to restore it but we all know how that goes.. He said he messed up by removing the spark plus when he parked it.. I was starting to worry it was locked cause of spin bearings or something but nope..

P.S. you are right about the starter, since i know they are interchangable i wont feel bad about buying a good one knowing i can keep using it if this motor is junk anyway and i go to a BB

 

[ckessel]

Old stuff is fun, lots of surprises to be found. Check out the fuel lines and brake system too. On a 29 Chrysler I received from some old employers, the tank was heinous. Car had been sitting for 15+ years with fuel in it. Rust and nasty old fuel city. The tank had a drain plus so I emptied it out. I put in 10 gallons of fresh with a gallon of Berrymans B12 in it. For two weeks whenever I was in the garage I would bounce on the bumper to slosh it around. During that time I cleaned out the carb, put new plugs in, batteries [2 6 volt units] plus some other tasks. When I got ready to start it, I drained that fuel out, put another 10 in of fresh plus I got ahold of some cow magnets from a local feed store. The magnets are about 4" long by 3/4" or so in diameter. Broke them up into halves and then using a piece of heater hose for them to slide through, I deposited them in various areas of the tank. The purpose of these was to capture any loose rust particles before they got into the lines and further away. I bounced that load of fuel around too so whatever was in there got caught. I didn't want to drop that tank out to get it cleaned since it may give me other stuff to fix.

 

[icetech]

Old stuff is fun, lots of surprises to be found. Check out the fuel lines and brake system too. On a 29 Chrysler I received from some old employers, the tank was heinous. Car had been sitting for 15+ years with fuel in it. Rust and nasty old fuel city. The tank had a drain plus so I emptied it out. I put in 10 gallons of fresh with a gallon of Berrymans B12 in it. For two weeks whenever I was in the garage I would bounce on the bumper to slosh it around. During that time I cleaned out the carb, put new plugs in, batteries [2 6 volt units] plus some other tasks. When I got ready to start it, I drained that fuel out, put another 10 in of fresh plus I got ahold of some cow magnets from a local feed store. The magnets are about 4" long by 3/4" or so in diameter. Broke them up into halves and then using a piece of heater hose for them to slide through, I deposited them in various areas of the tank. The purpose of these was to capture any loose rust particles before they got into the lines and further away. I bounced that load of fuel around too so whatever was in there got caught. I didn't want to drop that tank out to get it cleaned since it may give me other stuff to fix.

I'm so glad new tanks are available for this car at least.. that smell... It's all i can smell now, like it's taken up residence in my nose And yeah, i take brakes seriously, I'm actually going to do the 2005+ mustang disk brake swap since it's insanely easy, still deciding to go power or manual though (i'm cheap and boosters are not)

 

[icetech]

Ok, some more progress last night (mainly posting here so i have a record of what i'm doing and also if anyone sees something i am doing wrong or could be easier please let me know.
So.. started cutting out rust in the lower valence, i hate that it's welded on, i'm trying to form a plan of attack to repair the spot where the trunk extension/quarter/valence all meet as it's really hard to get to.
These pics are of the spots i have cut out of the drivers side trunk so far, going to clean the shackle box, reinforce it, rust convert then paint.

P.S. I believe there is supposed to be a C shaped tube going sideways from the back of the shackle box to where the trunk meets the extension (under the car) my drivers side on doesn't exist at all. If someone could please snap a clean pic of that spot (or let me know if there are drawings of things like this somewhere) i would be grateful, thanks much

 

[FU64RY]

you are correct, all the starters interchange. At $36 bucks + shipping for a starter that may or may not work why not buy locally? That way you can just return it if it doesn't work. Quality parts are getting harder to come by these days. (my 2 cents)

https://1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/welcome.html

Shop/parts manual
https://mymopar.com

Trim clips that you will need!
https://www.restorationspecialties.com

Vans has fuel tanks and sending units. They claim the tanks are galvanized. I can not personally vouch for the sending units but I have read a few good reviews. (if you choose to go the replacement route) The fuel lines are easy to replace also.
https://vansauto.com

Open the box and get the starter tested BEFORE you leave the parts store.

 

[icetech]

Open the box and get the starter tested BEFORE you leave the parts store.

damn things are THAT bad now? that's insane.. i only took 20 years off and everyone let parts go to hell