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Let's look on the bright side. If the thing ran when parked, and isn't rusty, it may not be that big a project to turn it into a usable driver. They're cool little cars; it'll be fun to have if you can get it going. If you can't, and nobody in your family wants it, there probably are other people who would like to have it.
Some basics before trying to move it:
-- See if the engine can be turned by hand. If it can't, it may have seized and you want to un-seize it before trying to do anything with it. There are various techniques for this, most involving removing the plugs, adding kerosene or Marvel Mystery Oil or something into each cylinder, then letting it sit for several days hoping it will break things loose.
If the engine isn't seized, it's possible that it might start up. I'd change the oil, filter, plugs, coolant and transaxle fluid before I tried it, just in case it starts.
-- Ditto the clutch. Having sat for several years, the clutch disc may have adhered onto the pressure plate and/or flywheel. If the engine runs, there are various scary ways of banging it loose, or you can do things right and replace it. For starters, just make sure it isn't stuck before you try to start the engine.
-- The transaxle fluid may be grungy. One good way to flush it is to drain whatever's in there, pour in two quarts of ATF (good because it's thin and has lots of detergents.) If the car is running, drive around the block; if not, put in gear and spin the shafts to slosh the fluid around. Lather, rinse, and repeat. After a few flushings of ATF, put in correct SAE-80-ish tranny fluid, such as Red Line MTL, Bel-Ray Gear Saver (motorcycle stuff) or AMSoil.
-- The brake and clutch hydraulics may not be in great shape after all that sitting. Even if the brakes are not stuck, my guess is that you'd want to replace all the seals sooner rather than later; a long sit won't have done the rubber parts any good. Same for the clutch hydraulics, although there are fewer parts so it's not as big a job.
-- Also make sure the brake friction surfaces are free before trying to move the car. Sometimes the rear shoes can rust in place.
-- It's fairly likely that the gas tank is full of crud. You can pull off the line at the fuel pump, under the front end of the car, and see what comes out. With luck, you may be able to clear the line with compressed air and then flush the tank by pouring clean gas through it, catching the gas in a bucket as it comes out the disconnected fuel line and watching it until it runs clear. You can filter the gas caught in the bucket and use it for your lawn mower or whatever.
All that's stuff you're fairly likely to have to do with any car that has sat for a long time -- but if that kind of thing is all it needs, it'll cost a lot less than $5-10K to get it going.
Sometimes you do get lucky. The first SAAB I bought, a two-stroke 96, had been sitting in a farm machine lot for about five years. We pumped the brakes to make sure they had pedal pressure; took the spark plugs into the barn and cleaned them off with a wire wheel; poured some clean gas in the tank (with the proper mix of oil); and hooked up a used battery which I had gotten off a porch in town by trading a 12-pack of beer for it. We towed the SAAB down the driveway behind a tractor, let out the clutch, and it started up within 20 yards. We drove it around the farm awhile to let the battery charge up, then a friend of mine got behind the wheel and drove it home 150 miles while I followed in another car. No problems at all. Once I had it home I flushed the cooling system and put in new transaxle lube, but that was all it needed.
posted by 68.227.170...
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