The Ford Barn

nellis003 · 07-28-2025, 12:52 PM

Hi All,

I recently inherited a '32 Cabriolet with its original flathead V8 from my Uncle, who had been having various kinds of work done on the car over the years. It's not entirely clear what's been done, as this has been going on for a long time and it's gone through several people working on it.

What I do know is that the engine was completely rebuilt over a decade ago, and hasn't been started since the build. It's been sitting in climate controlled garages and the engine is free.

The current person working on it has been having health issues and can no longer complete the work. The rest of the work is minor assembly, so I'm going to collect the car and parts and complete the work myself.

The gentleman working on it most recently has mainly worked on Model Ts and As, so he was concerned about starting the V8 up after so long. He was looking into methods for priming the oil pump when his health took a turn.

So, before I do anything that may cause damage, are there any recommendations on actions I should take before attempting to start the engine? I was planning to just drop some oil down the plug holes and keep the ignition off for a few rotations on the starter to prime the pump, but if there's something more extensive I'm all ears.

Thanks for any suggestions!

07-28-2025, 12:52 PM	#1
nellis003 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Chicago Posts: 162	First start on rebuilt '32 - precautions? Hi All, I recently inherited a '32 Cabriolet with its original flathead V8 from my Uncle, who had been having various kinds of work done on the car over the years. It's not entirely clear what's been done, as this has been going on for a long time and it's gone through several people working on it. What I do know is that the engine was completely rebuilt over a decade ago, and hasn't been started since the build. It's been sitting in climate controlled garages and the engine is free. The current person working on it has been having health issues and can no longer complete the work. The rest of the work is minor assembly, so I'm going to collect the car and parts and complete the work myself. The gentleman working on it most recently has mainly worked on Model Ts and As, so he was concerned about starting the V8 up after so long. He was looking into methods for priming the oil pump when his health took a turn. So, before I do anything that may cause damage, are there any recommendations on actions I should take before attempting to start the engine? I was planning to just drop some oil down the plug holes and keep the ignition off for a few rotations on the starter to prime the pump, but if there's something more extensive I'm all ears. Thanks for any suggestions!