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Hello, first post. I just bought a 37 115 C, barn find , 45,ooo orig miles, parked in 1958. Question , what type oil should I put on top of pistons through spark plugs before trying to turn crank as It has not seen daylight in 50 years! Thanks, Rich

Sounds like quite a find Rich.
How the rings and bores etc are is going to depend on how well the car has been stored over all those years.
Firstly you should check whether any water has been able to enter the bores or engine during those 50 years. Has the car been stored out of the weather always? If some water has entered then there is the likelihood that rings could have bonded to the cylinder walls, and cranking the engine would result in serious damage. So check engine oil for water before you drain it and replace it.
Certainly you need to replace the old oil before you turn it over.
Have a look down each plughole with a torch - see what piston tops and bores look like. White 'oxide' is a giveaway for water having been there.
Then my recommendation is put a small amount (around a capful or two only) of penetrant (PB Blaster, Inox, would do) into each cylinder and leave it at least a day to free up the rings.
A day later place about a capful of engine oil (few squirts) down each bore and leave it an hour or two.
When you do start the engine a good idea is to squirt oil directly into the carbie venturi for the first 30 seconds or so (- just a squirt every few seconds will do) using an oil can. Gives the bores an extra coating until oil makes its way onto the surfaces where it should be.
Suggest that before you use the starter to crank the engine that you turn it over manually if possible using a spanner on the harmonic balancer / vibration damper nut. Large offset ring spanner should give you sufficient leverage if you can get it in there! This will move some oil onto surfaces at no revs before you start it.
Make sure that you have oil pressure when it's running. Best of luck!

Thank you , I will follow your advice exactly this weekend. Appreciate your time. Richard

Larry51 gives a great procedure. I can only add that, if I could get it turn over smoothly on the starter motor, I'd do that with the spark plugs removed for long enough for oil pressure to register on the gauge before I put the plugs back in and tried to start it. And I'd consider dropping the oil pan, cleaning it, looking thru any debris for bad news, and cleaning the oil pump intake screen prior to trying to start it. Maybe also removing a valve cover to get some additional insight into what ravages if any the prolonged storage might have caused.

Quote:
Also, keep in mind that "torch" means something entirely different in Australia than here.

Thank you, and I will presume 'torch' means flashlite. Richard

Precisely

Try a good shot of Marvel Mystery Oil down each cylinder. Try and get some on the valve stems if you can. Let it sit for a week or at least overnight.

Then give it a fresh shot or a squirt of motor oil and turn the engine over by hand, with the spark plugs out.

If you can turn it one complete turn without forcing, try the starter. Cover the plug holes with rags the oil will fly out.

Turn it over until the oil pressure comes up. Check there is oil in the crankcase.

If the engine turns over and there is oil pressure, check if there is spark. Clean the white fur off the points. Put the plugs back in give it a shot of gas and cross your fingers, it might even start.

Whats the best way to clean the id plate on the firewall, I can not read the city date and delivered by. Thanks Rich

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I would just use some mild dishwashing soap (like Dawn) and water as anything harsher may remove the old paint from the patent plate.

If you still can't read the stamped in numbers then rub them with some dark chalk, then then wipe off the plate. Then the numbers should be visible.