Opinions on how long this car has been sitting?

[Cooper40]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask. I'm wanting some other opinions on how long this car has been sitting. No plates. Only "clues" we could find were:

 

-Old plugs? The plugs are AC plugs and I think those were used in the 60s?

 

-Plug wires. I couldn't get a lot of info on the plug wires. How old do you think these are?

 

-Big A oil filter. I think they went out of business in the early 2000s? Not sure when they started. 

 

-Thermostat box in glove compartment that had a peice of paper with 91 on the back of it.

 

-Oktober fest flyer from 91.

 

I know its kinda a shot in the dark. Any general thoughts on how long it's been? I'm new to this so I don't really have a trained eye. I'm thinking maybe 30 years? The gas tank smells REALLY bad. Has a "sweet" smell to it lol. 

 

*Just letting you guys know*

I will be replacing all of these parts. I'm not asking if they need to be replaced, I'm just honestly curious on opinions on how long the car has been sitting. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Cooper40

[desoto1939]

It really does not matter how old the items are that you asking about. It is now time to replace these items they are to old to keep in your car. So would we all presume that you would still run the old oil that is in the oil pan or drain it to put in fresh oil?  I am just being smart with this question, yes new oil. 

 

Rich Hartung 

[Curt Lee]

Those are Standard brand spark plug wires, still being sold today; if A/C doesn't make spark plugs anymore that's news to me, but the Big A oil filter is definitely a dated item. I'd say it's been idle for thirty years. Time to freshen everything up and give it some exercise. Anything that visually complete and apparently correct should be in operation, not wasting away as yard art. 

[Cooper40]

@desoto1939 Oh for sure. It wasnt a matter of if I was going to replace all of these parts. I was and I have already replaced some parts. I was genuinely just curious as to how long you think this has been sitting (just a ballpark answer). 

[Cooper40]

@Curt Lee Thank you for the reply. To clarify, are you referring to Big A company being shut down for 30 years or the car? 

[Curt Lee]

The car. I could be way off, but it looks a little like it's overslept the alarm clock and hit the snooze button; get her up and going!

[Los_Control]

It is also possible to check the DOT number on the tires for the date code. Still just a guess but by looking at how much tread left on them it can give you feel for how old they were when last driven.

 

I figure it is safe to double the years that the seller says it sat ..... I was told by the seller they remember seeing the truck driven around town 10 years ago .... I know it sat at least 20 years in a field.

[Ivan_B]

I would also look at the tires, to see if you can locate any date stamps. Also - no plates... Did you get any documents from the PO? Maybe a title, or at least a registration? ? If you know what state it came from, you might be able to do an inquiry with an applicable DMV.

[Curt Lee]

New Hampshire a two-plate state? I know Virginia is, South Carolina and Florida use just one. Some (probably most, actually) make you turn in plates if you drop your insurance. It's well preserved from it's appearance. Couldn't have been out in the open very long.

[Cooper40]

@Los_Control Three of them are Nexen tires. One of the nexen tires says the DOT is 8ELX FMCR 1719 which I believe would be the 17th week of 2019? The other two don't have date codes on them and the last one is a white wall Uniroyal tire that is blown apart with no date code. Maybe the previous owner threw some tires on to move it around? I kind of doubt it was driving them because of the plugs and the old oil filter. 

[Los_Control]

Those plugs kinda sorta look normal .... The head on these old flatheads have a dish where the plugs are installed ..... then the hoods generally  leak in the rain and water gets on the engine and collects around the plugs ..... so they rust.

 

Ive seen them get so bad that they break when trying to remove them .... while the rust on the plugs looks bad, just kinda normal for a car that has been sitting a few years.

 

Seems several years ago AC plugs got a bad reputation for being cheap china junk ... so I do not have any around to compare the logo to.

[D35 Torpedo]

I think the flyer is the best clue. 

[nonstop]

I would have to agree with above - the date coded tires would likely be the best indicator.  You are right - they are the 17th week of 2019.  Are the wheels all the same?  I would think if they were going to get tires onto wheels, then it was either running, or there was the intention to get it running and they started the work…

[Cooper40]

@D35 Torpedo LOL yeah ? 

[Cooper40]

@Los_Control Yeah that makes sense. So maybe its not as long as I thought. 

[Cooper40]

@nonstop I haven't checked the wheels yet. That makes sense what you're saying though. 

[Dan Hiebert]

You could run the serial number by your local DMV office, they can usually at least tell you when it was last registered.  I don't know if NH would help you with something like that - some States will, some won't.  

[Cooper40]

@Dan Hiebert Yeah i might try that. Thanks

[Cooper40]

@Los_Control It was locked up tight though. One of us had to be under on the flywheel and one on the top hitting the piston with a block of wood. Would 4 years do that? I guess if water got in which it did, then it wouldn't really matter how long it sat right. 

[Los_Control]

 

23 hours ago, Cooper40 said:

the DOT is 8ELX FMCR 1719

From the year 2000 on, the date code has been 4 digits, the first two are the week of manufacture and the second two digits are the year of manufacture. For instance 2407 would signify the 24th week of 2007. However, before the year 2000, the date code was only 3 digits, so the first two would be the week of manufacture, and the last would be the year, so without any listing of decade, a 247 date code could either be the 24th week of 1997, 1987,  or 1977  (Date stamps went back at least to the 1970s).

 

I just learned this, 25-30 years ago I retreaded semi truck tires and we only had the 3 digit codes at that time ..... so I was thinking your tires might not be 2019.

Seems obvious with the new 4 digit date codes 2019 is correct for your tires. But that is only 3 of them ... the 4th one also has a date code but may be on the inside .... probably installed to move the car around though.

 

I vaguely remember the thread about it locked up .... For whatever reason I was surprised  it was rust and where the rust was located.

I'm thinking it had a carburetor & air cleaner on it? .... thats a usual spot to allow water in. 

If it was full of water then froze & cracked the block, then thawed .... the water could get in interesting places depending where the crack is.

Just as a hypothetical guess ... yeah it could rust up in 4 years .... all guesses .... have you tried filling the block with water?

Knowing how the water got where it was will help you decide what to do.

 

One deciding factor for age on how long it has been sitting for me, Was the wheel cylinders. When I opened them up the rubber was all deteriorated and flaking white corrosion while they were completely frozen. .... I was told less then 10 years from the seller who bought the truck from a estate sale ... I'm guessing at lest 20 years for that much corrosion.

 

 

You really need to become a detective here to find the problem but also what caused the problem in the first place.

Rust was caused by water entering the engine .... now you need to know how the rust got into the engine .... if you are confident you have that problem solved, then move forward.

That includes filling the engine block up with coolant to see if it leaks. ..... Convince your brother he needs to change the antifreeze in his daily driver .... then put his used in the flathead   ?

[Cooper40]

@Los_Control Actually only one of the three Nexen tires has a date code. The other two dont. It seems more than likely that the previous owner put them on to move it around because the fourth one is a random white wall tire that is way older than the rest. 

Yeah it had a carburetor and air cleaner on it. 

Another thing is that the belt was rusted to the pulleys when we were trying to take it off. That seems like a sign that it's been sitting at least 10 years you think?

That's a good thought about the wheel cylinders. I'll have to check that soon and get back to you. Thank you for your help! I like sleuthing ?

Edited September 21, 2023 by Cooper40

[Los_Control]

Just now, Cooper40 said:

Actually only one of the three Nexen tires has a date code. The other two dont. It seems more than likely that the previous owner put them on to move it around because the fourth one is a random white wall tire that is way older than the rest. 

I looked at the roller tires on my 49 Dodge. They are a modern radial tire but all dry rotted and cracked and need to be replaced. .... They hold air & roll.

I installed them in 2018. ...... I can not read the date code on them either, just to light ..... maybe if I spit on them and rubbed them I might be able to read them.

 

The tire that is way older possibly might be a tire that could tell you the date .... the other 3 would not hold air but the 4th could so they kept it.

In the early days they only put the date code on 1 side .... now it is both ... so it may be on the back side of the tire.

 

Still I would not get to distracted and lost down the rabbit hole on dates ..... I would be more concerned with how the engine got water in it.

[Cooper40]

@Los_Control Yeah I will check that older tire on the back and see. 

Yes, now that we got the engine free and turning over with the starter it should be able to try and get it going soon. None of the valves were sticking either which I was really surprised about because some of the valve stems had rust on them. 

[Cooper40]

@Los_Control Just got news from the previous owner who only had it for 5 months before I got it. He had actually put those three newer Nexen tires on just to get it to my place because and left the old original Uniroyal whitewall tire on because that was the only one that took air from the previous owner. So it's probably been more like 30+ years. 

[Dan Hiebert]

I'm thinking that Big A oil filter may be your best indicator if DMV doesn't shed any light, but there's no telling how long that particular PO ran the car after that particular filter was installed.  Some States purge their DMV systems of inactive vehicles after so many years, so if NH can run the number and comes up with nothing, whatever that cut-off time is could be a minimum.  Gauging age by rust in our region amounts to a WAG.  I've found cars and machinery that has sat unused for decades that looks like it was abandoned only a few years ago, and I've also found stuff that was put out to pasture a few years ago that looks like it has been there for decades.  If it was stored inside, just how and where it was stored will affect how much it rusts, too.   From what I'm seeing, your car could very well have sat for 30 years, but I'm guessing about 20 due to that oil filter.