Hot Rods UPDATE - last. Tales of the '33 Ford 3 window garage find - it now moves under it’s own power

You Flathead guys will get a kick out of my recent "lesson". As some of you may remember from a recent posting, I recently was able to purchase a VERY nice '33 Ford 3 window coupe. The car hadn't been out of the garage in 41 years. The car has always been garage kept, since new. When I brought it home from North Carolina to Tennessee, this was it's first time out of the county where it had spent its entire life.

Mr. Penley couldn't remember how long it had been since he had last started the car, but it was prior to me having seen the car for the first time nine years ago.

The engine will not turn - even with the sparkplugs removed. A little over a week ago, I poured some Marvel Mystery oil in each cylinder. After soaking for a little more than a week, I'm still unable to get the crankshaft to turn. Tonight, I decided that I hadn't poured enough oil into the cylinders. According to comedian Tim Allen, "if a little bit is good, a whole lot is better, and too much is JUST RIGHT". So I attempted to fill each cylinder with transmission fluid. A few cylinders filled quickly, a few took quite a bit to fill, and the remaining cylinders never did fill ( I decided that as long as the entire piston was covered, the quantity would be sufficient to soak the entire circumference of the cylinder). As I was cleaning up and putting away the "stuff", I stood back to admire the car. This is when I noticed a rather large puddle of oil under the car, but not under the engine. The oil had leaked out of the exhaust pipe, when it entered the muffler. It seems that this procedure doesn't work well on flathead engine cylinders, where the exhaust valves are open. LOL Well, at least the muffler won't be hard to remove. Insert "muffler bearing" jokes here. -

 

Wow! She is beautiful.

 

Congratulations. HRP

 

That is a beauty for sure.

 

That's a good read, made me Chuckle. I love the smell of Marvel Mystery Oil coming out the exhaust pipe,,, when the motor is running. Don't forget to disconnect the Gas line before the fuel pump before you hit the starter.
The Wizzard

 

That's funny, not sure I would have thought of it either. Great car though.

 

I may be mistaken but that appears to be a 34!

 

What a great find! Congrats! That upholstery is perfect.

 

The original owner, sometime prior to 1956, changed the hood & grill. Apparently, this was common “back in the day”. Check out the dash & doors, they are ‘33. I’ve also included photos of Mr. Penley, which were taken in 1970 when he purchased the car from the second owner (the second owner purchased the car in 1956). These 1970 photos show that the hood & grill were already in place at that time.

 

I would try putting it in gear and see if you can rock it back and forth,that might break it loose.maybe try to tow it and let the clutch out and see if that helps.. Harvey

 

You did real well, I like it.

 

I would not try pushing or dragging it.
Your chances of breaking something is high. Broken rings can cause expensive damage. Really nice car you have.
Here are plenty of ideas.

https://www.google.com/search?clien...obile-gws-wiz-hp.....3..41j0i131.Pll64O57qr8=

 

My gawd that car is beautiful!

 

Dangit - how did we allow that 1 fine car leave this state - You be 1 lucky Dude !
Nice find !

 

Outstanding car and find.......................I hate you and we have never even met

 

Beautiful car! A lot of people don't know that the '34 hood and grille were actually a running late change in the '33 model year. I would guess that your VIN must be near the final '33 produced that year.

 

WOW!!
What a nice coupe.
I did the same thing freeing up an 8BA flattie in my 40, but used acetone and ATF. What a mess!
I pulled the starter and used a bar on the flywheel for more leverage.

 

Good luck with it, let us know how it goes

 

Well oiled muffler bearings ARE important!

When you attempt to spin it next time make sure to put some old rags into the spark plug holes, or you might oil the fenders too.

 

You are on the right track with the M M and letting it set and soak. You may end up doing some Overhaul work once running but doing this;

will guarantee a rebuild. Also I'm sure you know to turn it by Hand first and do many full rotations before Engaging the starter motor. Also like alchemy mentioned, once using the starter cover the plug holes. I'm betting the motor will be as good as it was when last parked.
The Wizzard

 

Great Coupe, be gentle with Her. You'll be cruising in no time!

 

I feel very fortunate. The car was fairly close to you. It was in the Asheville area. I told Mr. Penley that he could easily have found someone with more money than me, but he would have had difficulty finding someone that would appreciate it more than me. I’m taking my time, trying to be careful not to damage anything.

 

X2 on what Pist and broke said. Get a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt and keep at it. You might also consider pulling the intake and heads and get more MM down in there.

 

Your suggestion of using the rags to prevent “oiling the fenders” reminded me of something that a good friend did. He purchased a motorcycle that had been parked for several years, which also had a stuck engine. He filled the cylinders with a light weight oil and let it sit for several days. Rather than attempt to turn the engine slowly, by hand, he got on the bike and hit the starter button. He succeeded in oiling his legs, the basement walls & ceiling, as well as a couple of cars! LOL. All of his friends found this story to be funnier that did he.

 

I’ve loosened the fan belt & and am using the socket/ratchet, but only the bolt moves. I’ve only moved the bolt a 1/4 inch, or less. Breaking the bolt off isn’t on my “to do” list.

 

Wouldn’t hurt to rock the car ever so slightly and smoothly. I don’t see a ratchet doing the job.
Don’t get aggressive.
The idea of a cheater bar on the flywheel may work.

 

Don't hurry it along. A little acetone will help but I wouldn't do the 50/50 mix, maybe 10%. You have gaskets and seals that won't like it if used in excess.

 

Beautiful car congratulations. I like seafoam in the cylinders and gently rock the car for a min each day till it looses up

 

Patience.Can't rush these things.

 

i agree with the "rocking" theory. put 2 guys on each end, trans in 3rd, and get as violent as you can shoving it back and forth. the slack in the drive train sorta acts like an impact wrench. could just be one valve stuck, who knows. it will also have stuck valves after it turns. you can go thru the plug hole with an allen wrench and tap the center of the valve down, when timing is right, and turn the motor to see it stuck up again! usually takes a few times for them to be free enough to seat again, then its time for gas and a battery!