Starting 427 after 40 years

[Big Sandy]

I recently bought a 64 Q code 427 Galaxie, it has 27k miles but has not been started for 40 years. The car has been in a shop since 74. I was hoping for some direction in what I need to do before trying to start this engine. I am new to the forum and any help would be much appreciated.

[machoneman]

Considering the value of the engine, I'd tear it down instead as many a bad thing can happen to that old of an engine. JMO but you'd shoot yourself if it spun a bearing, toasted some journals or otherwise damaged those pricey parts. 

But, if you must.......

http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/start-an-engine.html

[My427stang]

Bob's answer is more logical but, if it turned, I'd fire it.  I'd probably just put fresh oil and water, check the points and let her rip, but if you wanted to be careful you could pull the distributor and prime the oil pump first

It's likely going to have to come out eventually, freeze plugs, gaskets and seals will all be dry, but if it held water, I'd light it, watch oil pressure and high five the guy next to me when it ripped.

[bartlett]

Imo Depends on the final goal. driver ,for sale,show car ,ect ... If your going to keep it,Imo it has to get torn down and rebuilt. I think if it was fired up it would run but it might have rust in the cylinders, rings stuck, water leaks ect ..I wouldnt risk it with a rare engine ...

[shady]

If you fire it & you decide just to just run it unrestored or rebuilt, at the very least replace the rubber valve stem seals. They get rock hard over the years & will disintegrate into small pieces rather quickly & eventually get into the oil pump, jamming it & twisting the pump drive shaft until it breaks off leaving you without oil pressure. Then all kinds of bad things will happen. Great find & keep us posted with your plans for the car.

[jayb]

I'm with the fire it now group.  Turn the engine with a breaker bar on the big crankshaft bolt first to make sure it isn't stuck.  If its not, I'd put in fresh oil and coolant, and let 'er rip.  If it is stuck, I'd try some penetrating oil squirted into the cylinders through the spark plug holes, let it sit for a couple days, and then see if it frees up when you try to turn it by hand.  And I'd still start it, if you could get it moving; I don't think running the engine if it frees up fairly easily will cause any significant damage.  But for sure, if its stuck, it will need a rebuild at some point. 

Post some pictures of the car when you get a chance...

[Lenz]

Nice find .  My two cents, I'd sign on with Ross in that Bob's answer is the most comprehensive.  For me, I don't think I could go through all of that with any level of patience though. 

I would definitely index the distributor, pull it, pre-oil, use a breaker bar to give it a half turn, oil again and then drop it back in just as it was.  You'd also probably need to find a way to get fresh fuel to the carb as soon as possible too.  I have seen 40 year old gasoline and you don't want to draw that thru the lines and into the carb.  A stand alone supply and a line to the pump could be a good idea.

Maybe pull the plugs and give it a dash of the marvel mystery oil treatment, crank it over a couple rotations with the plugs out, stick 'em back in and then fire it up.

Ultimately, as stated gaskets and seals will definitely need replaced, so it is gonna have to come apart some, but hearing it run with or without strange noises will give you confidence on what you're dealing with before you start.

Like Jay said, pictures would be nice too.

[Big Sandy]

Thank you all for the responses. My plan is to drive it as it is for a while but there are a few things I had planned to do first. I have it on the lift at this moment. We pulled the trans to replace clutch, pp, and flywheel. Going to have it surfaced and replace starter ring. The engine is not stuck, we have turned it over. My fear is having some catastrophic failure due to something dried getting to the oil pump. I have a complete 63 lo-riser that I may swap with the original and sit it to the side. I am going to take some of all suggestions. Will replace valve seals and oil pump and all fluids then prime it and fire it up then decide whether to swap for other engine. Thanks again. Will post pictures when I figure out how.

[blykins]

Pull a valve cover and go from there....

My experience with 40 year old engines is that once you pull the valve cover and see all the sludge, you don't want to start them LOL....

[fe66comet]

Things do go bad from sitting, my1926 Chrysler model 26 needs an engine job even though it has 12000 original miles on it. Oild rings, pistons and bearings are brittle and cracked, but keep in mind this is an original engine never diassembled.

[shady]

maybe pull the carb & run a magnet around inside the ports just to make sure nothing fell into it. nothing makes pieces quicker than  a screw from the carb or from some joker dropping something in just for kicks.

[Heo]

Im with Blykins about the valve cover

[My427stang]

Chickens.....   

[482supersnake]

The 4.6L in my truck came out of a 24,000 mile Crown Vic that been crashed. The motor was pulled and sat in a garage for about 10 years. When I picked it up it wouldn't turn over with a bar so we pulled the plugs and sprayed some oil down the cylinders for a few days. After that it turned over nicely with a bar. When we fired it up it pushed a bunch of rust out the exhaust manifolds but runs nice. The only problem has been a leaky rear main seal. Good Luck 

[Big Sandy]

Maybe I deciphered this photo shrinking maze. I hope these pics load.