In the year 1926, exactly 95 years ago, this two-ton GMC pickup truck was produced in Detroit. In the year 1940 it was permanently parked, and since then it has languished parked somewhere in the southern United States, in a mild climate. After 81 years without moving, he was rescued from his eternal rest and moved to another place, with the aim of finding out if he would start after a generation out in the open. After eight decades of abandonment, cycles of heat and cold, rain and snowfall. It’s impossible to boot, right?
When moving it, the wood of its box and cabin, infested with termites, broke, and the truck was damaged. Fortunately, although it is really rusty, the hood protected the mechanics and its chassis with spars is in relatively good condition. The youtuber “Jennings Motor sports” then proceeded to empty his crankcase, where there was a putrid mixture of water and oil. After changing the oil, installing new spark plugs and checking that the engine turned freely, he applied power to it. The engine was sparking! It was time to try to rip it off.
Valve seals and segments need urgent restoration.
With the help of new fuel – seems to be sucked by vacuum to the carburettor – and a ratchet as a crank, the engine manages to start. After 81 years stopped, the engine burns fuel again, in addition to burning all the remains of oil present inside. The white smoke denotes that the valve seals are bad, and that the rings let a lot of oil into the combustion chambers. In any case, it is impressive that he has come back to life after a practically eternal lethargy. Seeing is believing.
