Her name is Penny!

[shanebo]

Her interior has aged quite well....looks like a darn nice car ya got there...congratulations

[Euphonical]

Her interior has aged quite well....looks like a darn nice car ya got there...congratulations

Thank you! We were very fortunate to have found her - I'm impatient to get her going though LOL. It just takes time and money, both are things that are hard to come by in our lives.

It looks like our new SX4 is in need of a radiator...BaldEagle was wanting to steal Penny's, I explained that Penny is not in any way shape or form a parts car  But we did decide to borrow Penny's radiator for a few days to test to see if that is the SX4's problem. If it clears up the overheating issue then we need to figure out how to come by an extra $200 for a new radiator so Penny can have her's back.

[carguy87]

Or $150 for one of those Aluminum CJ radiators, and just drill new holes in it to fit 

[BaldEagle]

Or $150 for one of those Aluminum CJ radiators, and just drill new holes in it to fit 

That's the one I'd like to put in the SX4 eventually, but this car is staying all original......
besides, as part of the towing package it should be a 3-row!
~E

[Euphonical]

BaldEagle removed Penny's steering wheel and got the ignition out. Then he hooked up an external fuel pump and fed gas from a gas can...Penny started!! Penny ran for about 5 seconds, but we were thrilled! I'm going to pick up a fuel filter today and we're going to try putting gas in the tank and see if Penny will run.

[shanebo]

Sounds like Penny's going to be A-O-K!  I'm anxious to see how she does with a new filter and fresh gas.

[BaldEagle]

I'll be dropping the tank to clean it and check for a pickup sock. We got it running again, but this time using the stock pump with fresh fuel supply from a gas can.....it ran longer, but was somewhat loud and rough running due to needing an intake gasket. The pickup tube must be clogged real bad, since I couldn't even get a drop out of the filter when cranking! It now has 3 gallons of gas in the tank, registering just above "E", so I'll just use that for cleaning it.
~E

[Draekon]

Its also a good idea to put a filter before the mechanical fuel pump.  I had the valves on my mech fuel pump get stuck from dirty gas.  You can buy inline filters with a clear case so you can see exactly how dirty it has gotten.

[BaldEagle]

Got some more done on Penny today...
the fuel tank dropped pretty quick and easily, with the hanger bolts intact, and no visible rust scale inside the tank!
I think all I'm going to do for cleaning it, is to dispose of the 3 gallons of gas that's in it.





No surprise here, that the pickup tube's sock is still on and intact. It seems clean, and I was able to blow through it, but there's no way it's going back on!





Has anyone used some fuel line at the end of the pickup tube, so it won't run out of gas before "E"?
Next I'll use some compressed air to blow out the line to the pump, in case it's clogged somehow, paint the slightly rusty hanger hardware, and undercoat the whole tank.   

[Draekon]

I was able to find a replacement sock for my pickup tube, though I dont remember where I got it.

[carguy87]

You can run it sock-less with a filter after the tank.  I just pulled the sock off, bent the pickup down a smidge, then installed an in-line filter after the tank.

[captspillane]

I consider the removal of the sock an immediate need once you buy an Eagle. I install one inline filter right outside the tank and a second one right before the fuel pump as well as the third one in the factory position in front of the carb. I use the clear plastic ones in the rear and a clear glass one up front.

When I put my Eagle on the road I started off by dropping the tank, pulling the sock, and flushing out the old stuff. I still had to change the first inline filter at the gas tank about a dozen times the first year I drove it. I had to replace the second filter before the fuel pump once. If I had kept the sock that translates to a dozen times I would have had to drop the gas tank. Just draining out the old gas doesn't loosen the sludge that slowly loosens up as you put fresh gas in. It only took about a year for the problem to fix itself naturally. I only had to replace the rear filter once a year after the first year.

I dislike the store products that advertise that they'll clean your gas tank. Putting those in loosens the sludge in one big dramatic burst, clogging the filter immediately. I prefer to let it take care of itself slowly over a year. Hopefully your car didn't sit as long as mine did before I got it.

[BaldEagle]

Great tips from you all!
I'm taking my time on this.........cleaned up the hanger bolts and straps today with a wire wheel, then priming and re-undercoating all of it. The tank looks really clean, but there are some spots on top that have exposed metal. I think it's galvanized, so it's not near to rusting, but I'll probably prime/paint the topside anyway. Rock chips wont get up there, so I'll save the undercoating for the bottom side. The tank must have been entirely drained, because it's so clean, and took 3 gallons of gas to budge it above "E". So I'll pour out the remaining gas, then flush it once more with some acetone. I know that many will then use a hose to flush again, but I don't think it's necessary, and don't want to wait for the tank to dry out. As for the pickup tube, yes the sock is staying off, but I'll bend the tube to help extend it, then see if it might be extended a bit more with a brass compression fitting. Then a clear filter before the pump. I have enough vehicles already that require crawling around in the dirt for a simple filter change! The car did sit for 4 years, but with the low mileage and drained tank, hopefully there is no sludge like Cat's. None I can see from the two holes, anyway.
~E

[captspillane]

Sometimes its better to have a full tank of bad gas than a tiny amount of old gas in a tank. Some people insist on topping a tank off before storage. The idea is that a small amount of gas with a whole lot of air around it will evaporate and condense into sludge faster than a tank full of liquid. Its like how squeezing out the air from a loaf of bread when you put it away can help keep the bread from going stale as fast.

[priya]

Sometimes its better to have a full tank of bad gas than a tiny amount of old gas in a tank. Some people insist on topping a tank off before storage. The idea is that a small amount of gas with a whole lot of air around it will evaporate and condense into sludge faster than a tank full of liquid. Its like how squeezing out the air from a loaf of bread when you put it away can help keep the bread from going stale as fast.

Having stored many cars long term with small amounts of gas in the tank, I think that's true.