Bringing a long-stored car out of storage:

Pre-Project Recommendations & Cautions:

1. Secure “buy in” from your spouse and family that the project will be time-consuming, have you in the garage a lot, and will cost a good bit
2. On the other hand, realize that family members need and deserve a reasonable amount of your time… give them some
3. Remember that frustrations can build strongly for a long-drawn-out project, every “sub project” of which almost always takes more time than you estimated; while a frequent beer can help alleviate the stress, too many can create a whole new set of problems
4. Buy a shop manual for your car – they’re available at very reasonable prices (often in the $15 to $20 range for a used one and about $25  to $50 for a “new” one) on eBay and new on such sites as Amazon.com; it’s amazing how few owners of Classic Cars own one and how MANY problems can easily be solved by one; most such manuals have many illustrations; they’re also available as PDF files on a CD
5. Buy a fire extinguisher (preferably two) – keep it near the engine compartment when you’re working on the car and/or the cockpit at all other times
6. Strongly consider installing a battery cut-off switch – it’s a great safety AND anti-theft device

Fuel System:

7. Drain the fuel tank, introduce new fuel, then purge the fuel system by pumping a pint of fuel into a bottle or can
8. Check the fuel pump to determine if it’s working; remove your line where it connects to the carburetor and, with someone helping, direct the fuel line into a small container – you should hear a clicking when you turn it on and fuel should go into the container; don’t be surprised if your new fuel pump burns out in a year or two – quality control isn’t what it used to be
9. Check and replace any rotten rubber fuel line pieces
10. Replace your fuel filter, using one with a metal housing to avoid the possibility of an engine compartment fire from a plastic filter

Engine Components:

11. There’s a good chance you’ll need to replace most / all rubber parts – particularly radiator hoses, fuel lines, vacuum lines, fan belts, etc as these parts suffer badly over the years
12. If your car has the smog equipment on it, rotate the air pump manually to see if it works – otherwise, you may have a severe episode of black smoke from a burning belt
13. Check the generator or alternator for the same reason as above

Carburetors:

14. Remove the float bowl lids and clean out the float bowls
15. Remove the suction chambers, clean them, clean the air pistons, and lightly sand the metering needles to remove the verdigris (with 600 grit paper or something like that)
16. Exercise the jets by moving the choke levers up and down about 50 times, all the time spraying the linkage and the inside of the carbs with oil
17. Use 90 weight gear oil in the dash pots for rich acceleration

Engine Pre-Check:

18. Manually turn over the engine to make sure it isn’t frozen
19. Remove the plugs and introduce a tablespoon of oil into each cylinder
20. Change the engine oil and filter
21. Spin the engine over until you note oil pressure on the gauge
22. Fit cleaned or new plugs
23. Strongly consider replacing your ignition wires – high performance ones are available which indeed give a considerable improvement
24. Remove the distributor and clean the points (setting the gap to 0.015”)
25. Static time the engine at 10 degrees before top dead center
26. Remove your coil wire and crank the engine to determine if you get oil pressure on your gauge
27. Check your cylinder pressure against the specifications in the shop manual
28. Drain the engine coolant and replace it with mixture of fresh fluid and distilled water – do not use a pure water mixture as this can result in rust inside your engine’s cooling system
29. Strongly consider replacing your thermostat – it’s a quick and inexpensive procedure and can save you problems
30. If your car has an electric radiator fan, consider replacing the fan switch – it, too, is quick and inexpensive and can save cracking your block
31. Clean your engine block and valve cover carefully and check both for past gasket leakage; avoid over-tightening the valve cover as that can cause buckling and new leakage; YES, most British cars leak oil… but the quality of gaskets and seals is much higher today than they were 30 to 50 years ago; consider replacing many of them

Transmission & Differential:

32. Drain the transmission oil and replace it with fresh Castrol 20w50 oil
33. Check the U-joints
34. Check the differential for leakage and top it off

Electrical System:

35. Pull apart ALL bullet connectors and sand the male portions with fine grit sandpaper; roll small tubes of the sandpaper to fit into the female portions and clean them, as well – most electrical problems on British sports cars are caused by corroded connections
36. Check your turn signals before driving the car – odd effects (no blinking on one side, irregular blinking, etc.) are often caused by corroded connections whereas NO blinking is usually caused either by a bad flasher or a pulled-apart connection or broken wire
37. Open the fuse box and remove each fuse, sanding each connector lightly along with the fuse base; if the inside of the fuse box is oily feeling, clean it with a drying solvent (like brake or carb cleaner) – oil blow-by and road grit can get into the fuse box and cause the engine not to run
38. If the car doesn’t start or even try to turn over, check the relay (on MGBs it’s on the right wheel well about 8-10” behind the radiator; this item costs about $10 and some “daily driver” owners carry a spare or two in their trunk

Clutch & Brakes:

39. Check your clutch system by depressing the clutch pedal – if it quickly sinks to the floor, go through the following procedure:
    1. Check the rubber parts of the system, and, depending on how long the car has been stored and replace any parts that need it
    2. Depress the clutch pedal; if you feel fluid on your foot or ankle, you have a master cylinder leak; if you have leakage onto the floor under the car, it’s a slave cylinder problem
    3. If the rubber feels spongy and there are clearly leaks in the either cylinder, replace it
    4. Drain the fluid and replace it with Castrol LMA DOT 4
    5. Do not put a bleeder on the slave cylinder
    6. Depress the clutch pedal
    7. Place your index finger on the bleeder hole
    8. Take your foot off the pedal
    9. Wait 20 seconds
    10. Push the pedal down
    11. Put the finger back on
    12. Let the pedal up
    13. Wait 20 seconds
    14. Continue this process until you have a good burst of fluid – it usually about five strokes
    15. THEN fit the bleeder and bleed several more times, cracking the bleeder loose instead of using your finger
40. Check your brake system by depressing the brake pedal – if it quickly sinks to the floor, go through the following procedure:
    1. Check the rubber parts of the brake system, and, depending on how long the car has been stored and replace any parts that need it
    2. If the rubber feels spongy and there are clearly leaks in the master cylinder, replace it
    3. Check the hoses for cracks and, if necessary, replace them
    4. Drain the brake fluid and replace it with Castrol LMA DOT 4
    5. Go through a similar process with the brakes as with the clutch
    6. Jack your car up and, with an assistant, make sure the brakes actually hold the wheels from moving

Steering & Suspension:

41. Make sure you can turn your steering wheel lock to lock and that the wheels actually move correspondingly
42. Check all your grease zerts and apply grease as appropriate
43. Once your car is driving, check your suspension for bouncing, clunks, etc. – there’s a good time your bushings have deteriorated; often the springs will sag (they can be re-sprung by a good spring shop); also, your shocks may have gone bad (there are specialty shops that rebuild them)

Thanks in part to John Twist, Tech Tips Editor, MGB Driver (published by the North American MGB Register) and numerous contributors to various Yahoo Auto Groups tech discussion groups.