Bringing a 246 back to life.

Don't think you need to worry about timing belts.
Ed

 

Steven,

Put the Dino on a flatbed and send it to me.

I'll get her going like new and ship it back in say ten, twelve years. Oh, and of course bill you for my supervision of the work required to get her running. (Ask UroTrash if he thinks I'm competent.)

Truth? I'd take it to a factory trained Ferrari mechanic for the mechanicals, you can do some of the cosmetics. I'd talk to the guys at Leatherique about the mold, they probably have a cure.

 

Sounds like a fun project, any pics? would be nice to see before and after

 

Steven,

I would just drain the tank and put in fresh fuel. I would remove the spark plugs, squirt some oil in for lubrication, then turn the engine over manually. If it turns, try to run it on the starter motor, with the fuel pump disconnected and the plugs still out, to build up some oil pressure. The carbs will probably need rebuliding, but connect the pump and see if there are any fuel leaks. Install fresh plugs, and with any luck the engine might start!

See if the brakes are free, change the fluids, do an overall check, and you might find that the car is OK. You just then need to service it.

I am surprised that Wayne Carrini, in Chasing classic Cars, sometimes stumbles on a barn find and manages to start it!

There are many good products to freshen up the interior; I am not sure which one will work for mold. There should be several options.

Good luck.

Andy

 

why would you change the timing chain ? its not a belt, if its not stretched leave it alone.

change the oil, rebuild the carbs, rebuild the distributor (just to make sure the advance is working), change the coolant, bleed the brakes and DRIVE IT.

 

Quite a coincidence, "Chasing Classic Cars" tonight featured a 1973 246 GTS that was stored for 15 years In a tent. They followed about the same procedure suggested above and started the car. We're probably getting older episodes here, so you might have seen this already.

I wonder what Carrini sprayed into the cylinders?

Andy

 

repeat...has been on several times before

 

Carrini is a big fan of Marvel's Mystery Oil as I recall.

Or that might be the British guys on Wheeler Dealer.

I've used it plenty of times.

But, I don't think an amateur should just change fluids, crank it around by hand and then fire it up. These aren't $10K cars anymore, if they ever were.

D

 

I suggest you take the spark plugs out and take a good look in there with a borescope or small mirror and light. Issues to watch for: water in bores from corroded and leaking gaskets/heads, rust on the bores, valves. Some cylinders will have been exposed to the air (exh or inlet valve held open) and some were sealed up so you need to check all of them. If there's rust, you'll likely need a professional to decide how much is bad enough for the state of the engine. A tear down, clean-up the bores and re-ringing might be needed, or just oil up, turn by hand and run.

If the engine has not turned over for 10 years then some valves have been held open and those springs are likely bad .. might be ok to run but probably not at 6000+ rpm. The contents of the cooling system if not changed in 10 years won't have been protecting the dissimilar metals in the engine, also the loose rust will quickly gather in the radiator tubes so you'll need to flush the cooling system and get the radiator checked. Pop the cam covers and check the camshaft lobes for corrosion and pitting. If it all looks ok then flush, lube, change fluids and turn over by hand ... and so on as others indicated.
I hope the engine was put to sleep in a good way and if you can get it running then you can assess any other issues, even if you still plan to take it apart.
Then there's corrosion on parts of the gearbox not sitting in oil, the clutch friction plate is likely stuck itself to the flywheel, leaking or seized brakes... and so on....

Good to have another Dino owner in the NE.
Andrew

 

Andrew's tips are great.........but, if the engine block was left with water +/- whatever,
the heads are the really worrisome issue, and good luck finding new/used ones.
One day, I will cut an old (very bad) head and show another Dino issue in its ugly naked truth.

Break a leg!
Regards, Alberto

 

I was quite surprised with that red GTS on Carrini's show. It was stored in an uninsulated tent for 15 years. And it snows there!

Carrini did say "mystery oil" I think, when he squirted the stuff into the cylinders.

I have to get my own Lotus started. It hasn't run in ten years since I retired it from racing. Dehumidified garage and engine turned over by hand every once in a while, so Carrini's experience makes me less fearful. Still, I am anxious.

Andres