Just got a 49 pickup! Some questions!!

[Marleysurf]

Hello I'm from so cal and just got a 49 pickup. The previous owner had it sitting outside for the last few years so it's got a bunch of surface rust. But body is pretty straight! All stick motor and trams. He turn d it over a year ago, but when we tried to do it today it would not budge.
And suggestions on what to put in the spark plug holes to free it up? Or what should I do!?!?
I'm super excited to start restoring this thing. Are there any certain shops that ou have found that have most parts etc.
I'll post a few pics of how I got it today and keep posting pics of the restoration! Thanks for the help! Much appreciated!

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[FortyNiner]

Looks like a good project truck. For the engine, there are many approaches: some use a 50/50 mix of acetone/automatic transmission fluid, others swear by diesel fuel, MMO has its fans, and I've even heard from wise folk who suggest that water works as well.

Regardless of the fluid, you'll want to also apply some patience as well as steady pressue. The patience is a full time thing whle the steady pressure should be applied periodically to try turning the crank. Seldom is brute force rewarded. Good luck and keep us posted.

[waterboychuck]

I've used MMO like FortyNiner suggested. I would apply it at least once a week to make sure the cylinders don't go dry.

[Marleysurf]

What is mmo?

[Marleysurf]

And what would the process be for trying to free the engine. Just pouring some of the solution in the spark plug hole every day Ana trying to turn the engine over by one of the pulleys? I've never dealt with a frozen block. And just for some background the guy I bought it from said he turned the motor over less than a year ago. Thanks!

[fordwife]

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marvel mystery oil, available at most auto parts stores.

[1948F-1Pickup]

Marvel's is the "go to" for this kind of thing.
The 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone will fall out of
suspension fairly quickly..... in my opinion.
(It does work great in a spray bottle where you can
agitate it and spray it on a rusty fastener and then
continually reapply it like that over a time frame)
That mix has been shown to outperform Kroil and
pb blaster.

[Marleysurf]

Thanks for the advice! And what is the best was to try and turn the motor over?

[FortyNiner]

Best method is a socket with a breaker bar on the crank (specifically, the nut on the lower pulley). You'll want to turn it clockwise as you face the engine. I'm forgetting the socket size at the moment.

[chap52]

Wal Mart has MMO also. Learn to use the "Search" function at the top of this site. Open it and click on "advance search" that way you can limit your search to "early V8" posts. You will find a treasure chest of previous discussions there on just about every topic.
Enjoy the adventure keep us posted, and remember we love pictures. WELCOME!

[Fibber Mcgee]

Congratulations on your purchase. The front fenders look pretty decent, which to me is a big deal. The hardest part to find seems to be the front fenders. There has been a rumor going around for years that someone was going to be reproducing them in steel but I haven't seen them yet. Everything else seems to be easy to find on the F1s.

[JSeery]

Keep in mind that it may not be just the pistons which are stuck, it is often one or more valves. You can do damage if you try to force the engine to turn over with stuck valves.