My Bristol

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

I looked at the videos, and you are scaring me. I wish that car was a Camaro of something. That way I would not be so concerned. Anyway, good luck on the project. This is perhaps the most valuable project you will ever have the opportunity to work on, and I hope you will give it the respect it deserves.

[KJ4YXY]

Originally Posted by Ronald G. Stephenson

I looked at the videos, and you are scaring me. I wish that car was a Camaro of something. That way I would not be so concerned. Anyway, good luck on the project. This is perhaps the most valuable project you will ever have the opportunity to work on, and I hope you will give it the respect it deserves.

i understand. for the state it is in there is no need to worry to that extent. once we do body work then we will have to be more careful
thanks

[GREG]

I agree with Ron for once ! You are scaring me too ...

It is a 408 , not 407 -- the 407 numbers you see around are just part numbers that are shared with a lot of V8 Bristols

Please get a professional mechanic to take a look and write you up a job list that you can tackle one at a time.

Don't use the body work as a work bench and tool tray -- you will loose tools and cause more damage.

The button on the floor you asked about is for the main beam headlight on/off

Just keep asking on here when you are stuck or need parts on and someone will help

Did you actually get it running ? Please check all fluids are okay before you try again and make sure it isn't seized. Do you need help with that ?

Good luck and remember one job at a time, keep taking pictures and don't loose anything. I started with lawn mowers and mopeds ! you are very brave and fearless :-)

[GREG]

The A/C compressor you were looking at is the brake servo - it doesn't have A/C

The power steering pump that was in your way was something else as they don't have power steering and use a Marles steering box


It has the wrong carb on so look out for a 4 barrel Edelbrock

I think you may be better getting a cheap running 318 engine from a breakers yard somewhere, around 1963 vintage, so you can get it rolling -- if the tranny is working. Then you can work on the original engine and components at your leisure.

Really don't want to be patronising but please, please, get some help !

Watching you hitting the gear selector with a lump hammer nearly made me cry :-(

Here are normal pre start checks after a car has been stood - but these are based on a radiator being fitted and a fuel supply -- which yours has not !! So stop and get help

1 Check for any obvious damage to hoses.
2 Fully charge the battery.
3 Take out the sparking plugs.
4 Disable ignition circuit (pull out the funny shaped plug on the ignition amplifier situated above the fuses in the offside pannier)
5 Remove air cleaner.
6 Squirt a little thin oil into each plug hole, and into the top of the carb; push open the choke plate and throttle butterflies as you do this.
7 Even if oil looks clean (perhaps especially if), change it before turning over the engine. Deposits and crud may have totally settled (like sediment in wine) and may clog oil passages when stirred up.
8 Turn the engine over a couple of times using a socket on the nut holding the crankshaft pulley at the front of the engine. Make sure that the engine turns reasonably freely.
9 Have an assistant sit in the car while you keep an eye on the engine. 10 Have him turn the key to the start position. The engine should spin over. 11 Carefully watch for any petrol leaks as the mechanical pump (I assume you have one) fills the float chambers. Sometimes after very long periods of inactivity, the floats can be stuck by gummy deposits in old petrol. If all is well, continue to spin the engine on the starter until you see the oil pressure come up.
Replace plugs, air cleaner and enable ignition circuit.
Go for a pint ( Cola ), (this is serious, it gives the electric choke time to cool down)
Try it, if all is well you will get a cloud of smoke from the exhaust as the excess oil is burnt off.
Let it warm up, checking all the time for fluid leaks.

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Thanks, Greg. I was beginning to think I was the only one with concerns about the old car. This is going to be a huge 'learning moment' for this young man and his friend, and my fondest wish is that the object of their intentions was another car. Having searched for a 409 for so many years that I could afford to purchase and restore has my emotions reeling when I saw this original posting. I am in the process of tracking one down, perhaps two from the same deceased owner. They will need everything from what I can gather, but I will not be deterred. You have given them much advice and I hope they follow some of it. Experience is a wonderful teacher, but the stakes involved in gathering it needs to be taken into account.

[GREG]

Sooner or later you will need to shell out a lot of money for that car on parts , paint and upholstery -- even Tyres cost a fortune for a 408 !

Unless you have decent financial pot to go at you should look at selling it. You could probably get something cool like an old VW Beetle with the money from the 408. They are perfect first cars to work on.

Sometimes you need to be realistic

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

I will have to whole heartedly second that suggestion, and I went so far as to suggest that to the young lad very early on. Properly handled, that sale would provide quite a few dollars toward an education, or anything else he had in mind, like a much more modest car as a project. I fear that the car will continue to be devalued as the work progresses. It does not look good. Sentimental value aside, good decisions are not being made.

[backseateducation]

As far as I can see from reading this thread, while there may not be a lot of finance, practical skill or even rational thought floating around, this lad has an abundance of the most important thing - ENTHUSIASM.
It's surprising how many hurdles can be overcome with this alone - other things can come later!

Good luck to you.