59 FC Special 15yr hiatus

[No Soup For You]

Hi all,

I have a 59 FC Special that's been stored for about 15yrs and I'm wanting to get it back on the road. It was pretty much my daily driver beforehand and in pretty good shape mechanically. It's been stored in a garage away from the weather.

I'm wondering what I should do to get it back up and running? I'm going to recondition the brakes and the radiator. Not sure what else I should do, or what problems may arise if I just start it up and drive it.

Any advice would be most welcome, thanks.

Dave

[mcl1959]

Brake cylinders will need a clean and new cups put in. They may need new cylinders if pitting has developed. Hoses may also be perished or blocked. Put a few squirts of oil in each cylinder and turn over by hand a few times to lubricate the cylinder walls.
Flush the block out and check welsh plugs.
Dump old oil and put new oil in.
Dump old petrol and put new fuel in.

Ken

[Errol62]

You’ll flush the hydraulic fluid while overhauling the brakes.

I’d take a close look at the fan belt, wiper blades and new tyres, especially if it’s been sitting on its wheels, but hey they’re over ten years old so not legal.


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[Harv]

I’d take a close look at the fan belt, wiper blades and new tyres, especially if it’s been sitting on its wheels, but hey they’re over ten years old so not legal.

I haven't heard of a legislated limit on tyre age before?

My understanding is that most state governments, associations, manufacturers etc recommend replacement anywhere from 5 to 10 years, but that it is not legislated. The tyre ADR (ADR23) is silent on tyre age. I could be wrong though.

Cheers,
Harv

[ardiesse]

For the electricals,  I'd pop the distributor out, then clean the points and reset the point gap.  You can check that the vacuum advance diaphragm's not leaking, and that the centrifugal advance hasn't seized.
The starter motor shouldn't need attention.
The generator will most likely wake up immediately when you start the engine.  Sometimes it may take a minute or so for the brushes to make good contact with the armature.  If the generator light stays on, the brushes might be stuck in the holders, or a brush spring has broken.

The drier the environment you stored the car in, the fewer troubles you'll have getting it going.

Rob

[No Soup For You]

Thanks for all the help, I'm making a list of all this stuff.

Generally, do you think all the engine seals will be okay or should I change them?

[Harv]

The timing cover will leak. The rear main will leak. The gearbox will leak.

They all do... if there aint no oil under it, there aint no oil in it  .

No need for seal replacement - start it up, see how much it leaks, and see if you can handle the amount it does. Some people are fastidious, and will hunt down every last drop. Others are more relaxed, and will tolerate the leaks provided they are within reason. The oil stains up my driveway kinda put me in the second camp  .

Cheers,
Harv

[ardiesse]

You asked about engine seals -
I am in Harv's camp when it comes to oil leaks.

If the motor runs well and doesn't leak oil, you won't need to touch it.  Here's what can happen if . . . -

You pull the motor out, because it's much easier to get the mud and scale out of the water jackets with the engine out.  Then you think to check the valve sealing and discover a few exhaust valves that leak a bit.  So the head comes off, because the motor's already out.  The valve grind is straightforward; but the sharp-eyed observer will tell that the head gasket isn't sealing properly between 2 and 3, and 4 and 5.  It's no trouble to get the head milled flat; but you have to strip the motor down so the block can be decked.  While you're at it you rework the coolant holes behind #6 so you can fit an "improved-cooling" head gasket.  The cam timing gear is fibre, so you replace it as a matter of course.  There's no point in reassembling the motor with its worn rings and bearings, so you "just" pop a set of rings and bearings in (and get the bores honed).  But what about the small ends?  You rock the conrods on the pistons and there's a little bit of free play in the small end bushes.  And then you think, "maybe the motor did make gentle nacka-nacka sounds at idle, which I thought was tappets . . ."  Six new piston pins and small-end bushes later, you reassemble the motor.

You are well-rewarded for all this effort, because the motor now runs like a clock and will be good for another 100000 miles.

But you just wanted to fix a couple of oil leaks . . .

Rob

[Errol62]

And if you haven’t done a really good job on the rear main seal it will soon be leaking again.


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[Harv]

And if you haven’t done a really good job on the rear main seal it will soon be leaking again.

I replaced the rear main in the FB after destroying the thrust bearings. Took it for a pink slip 3 months later. The mechanic took a look underneath. The conversation went something like this:
"Oh... its got an oil leak. You'll have to fix that".
"They all leak. Its the rear main."
"Yes, well, you'll have to fix it before I issue a pink slip".
"To fix it, I have to remove the engine and gearbox. It was removed and fixed 3 months ago. There is a 90% chance that it will leak again if I fix it".
"Oh.... OK. It will pass then".

Cheers,
Harv

[my8thholden]

Ahmen ..to all of that ..Holden Greys leak oil ,period …..some more than others ..there is an additive to put in your oil to stop oil leaks ,I haven't used it ,I believe it is aimed at rubber seals which harden ,so it softens and swells them , ( probably shortens effective life )..It wont work on a Holden grey rear main then ..Vern 

[No Soup For You]

Yep, I think I remember being very frustrated at all the oil leaks and I probably went down the rabbit hole a few times trying to make it perfect. It's been a long time since I drove the FC but I do remember that everything leaked and that I had to check the oil level regularly.

Thanks for all the advice 

[Errol62]

The leaks don’t use much oil at all unless they are very serious indeed. Even though every Holden six grey, red or blue I’ve had has leaked, they haven’t needed topping up between changes. The black 202 I had didn’t leak! The one Fix Or Repair Daily I had used a half litre every 1000km and was said to be normal.


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