most common problems?

[mikeinkc]

been doing a lot of searching in the pilothouse forums and wanted to know what the most common problems are with trucks of these years that have been sitting for awhile? the truck i am picking up either this week or next weekend is a 49 B1C. rust seems minimal, turns over, has compression, won't quite fire up. as far as hidden rust issues, where is a common place to find rust besides the obvious places? are these motors generally considered to survive well for long periods of neglect? what i want to do initially is get it to start and evaluate the oil pressure, engine temp and if it looks to be mechanically strong, then keep the mods to a minimum, but for sure convert to a straight up 12 DC system, with alternator, and complete re-wire then address the brakes and keep them drum non-power for now and make it a daily driver. over time do the cosmetics. does this seem within reality for a truck sitting for many years? i love the prospect of toolin' around my part of the country to and from work and trips to my local honey hole (salvage yard) in this truck. everything else that this truck needs can be had from roberts, steele rubber, and others that i have discovered from being a new member to the pilothouse forums. any heads up to what i can expect with regards to my 49 B1C would be greatly appreciated, mike in k.c.

[Reg Evans]

One of the most common problems with any old vehicle that has been sitting for a long time is the braking system. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder. If there is still some fluid visible you might be in luck. Keep your fingers crossed!

For the engine I'd remove all the spark plugs and mix up some gas and oil and squirt a couple of tablespoons worth down each hole. Change the oil in the crank case. Turn the engine over with the starter for a while, put the plugs back in and let it sit for a day while keeping your fingers crossed. Then tune it up and see how she runs. Make sure there is water in the radiator. It might miss for a while due to sticking valves but if there's nothing majorly wrong and your fingers were crossed it should smooth out after it has run for a while and warmed up.