Re: Starting a 1954 after 25 years...

Posted by HH56 On 2017/6/8 11:05:10

If it was run and then parked I would expect the carb would be not in the greatest shape. It could be varnished up or clogged from the old fuel just drying in the bowl. The seal on the accelerator pump plunger could also be dried up and not squirting any gas as the accelerator is pumped. Also make sure you are using fresh gasoline and not anything that was left in the lines or tank.

Since you did get a small "bump" I would clean and check the plugs, set the gap, and try again. Also verify the spark is consistent and a nice strong spark is seen on each opening of the points as you crank the engine. Assuming the distributor was not touched it should still be in reasonably close time but that might be worth checking too. If it still doesn't cooperate, do a compression test just to make sure some of the valves haven't stuck.