[Rachelsdad]

Originally Posted by Parkman51

Rachelsdad, that's great advice. I don't intend to show this car, so I don't mind using a modern motor - but at the same time, I'm against drilling holes or making substantial changes. I need a car that works, but I'm reluctant to do anything that can't be undone. Owning a regularly-driven classic car feels like a balance between a motorist's necessity and a historian's responsibility - having been blessed with such a beautiful piece of machinery, it's my job to preserve it, in the best condition possible, for posterity.

It truly is a balance. This is why I run Coker bias-look radials on my '63 (because being old enough to have driven on bias-ply tires, I know I don't want to do that anymore). I also agree that having the ability to return the car to stock-stock is important for the preservation of the history. This balance is why even the AACA makes exceptions for some things, such as dual master cylinders on cars which were never so equipped when new. (And one of my favorites is the steering column mounted turn signal unit for cars where turn signals were optional equipment.)

My philosophy is that as long as the "upgrade" has purpose and does not detract from the overall look of the vehicle, it's probably fine.

Tomorrow, we shall see if we can dislodge any of the coolant ports! If we can, then I'll drain as much coolant as possible and flush extensively. If not, the coolant job will have to wait until I get a replacement lower hose, and we'll get at it that way. At some point in the future, I'll take the car in to a reputable shop to get a tune-up, and assuming any of the plugs remain stuck, I'll see if they can dislodge them at that time.

With all that you're doing, I'd say taking the car somewhere for a tune-up would be a waste of time and money. By the time you get to the point of changing plugs, points, cap, rotor, and wires, you'll likely know more about this car than anyone you're likely to encounter at any shop local to you, anyway. (Tips: When installing new plugs, just a little 3-in-1 - or any light machine oil - on the threads will allow them to go in and come back out so much more easily than they might otherwise. Oh, and again, penetrating oil is your friend; and finally, be mindful of the "lateral twist" which often results in breaking the ceramic of the plug.) Anyway, we'll cross these bridges when you come to them.

Today's two questions:
1. What should I do about the fuel line mismatch? Should I try to bend the lines and see what happens? With or without heating? Should I get some extra line and just connect them where they sit?

I've had fuel line repairs with proper hose and clamps which served the purpose well. Also, on my '63, the line coming up from the pump to the in-line fuel filter is rubber, and that works just fine. If you are sure that the sending unit is indeed correct, I'd probably just use hose and clamps to make the connections and not worry with bending (no kinks are better than even one kink, and rubber bends so much better than metal). Best answer I can give, as I haven't (yet) faced your predicament with this one.

2. Reading the service manual, it says the oil should only be changed when the engine is warm, as the old oil will flow out better. Originally I planned to change the oil before starting the engine, but now I think I should wait. Recommendations?

Under normal conditions, I agree with the manual: current (read: recently used, not excessively aged) organic oil flows out better warm than cold. That's a fact of life. However, what you have in that crankcase is likely ages old and not capable of properly lubricating the engine at all. As a result, here's how I would handle this, assuming you are not going to do an engine overhaul to start:

Dump the oil as it stands and change the filter. (Again, these engines predate our modern filter designs; you may choose to convert to a modern spin-on filter or stick with the cartridge type. Larry can give you more guidance on this than I, as I am just learning my way around pre-1960's mechanicals - LOL) Your next oil change should be soon (1,000 miles? less?), and "by the book" (warm oil). The idea is that you likely have a lot of castor build up here and there, and you'll want to run that out in this first oil change. The filter should trap most of that, and other stuff should end up at the bottom of the pan. This will flow out more easily with the tide of warm oil. For now, though, the goal is just to get as much of the old, broken down, useless stuff out of there as possible without causing undue wear on the engine.

HTH