Did The Car Guy Thing Today

Bringing an old car back from the dead.

My wife's late mother's car has been sitting in the same spot for at least 10 years. Because of this, one of her father's neighbors who had nothing better to do, called the city and made a complaint about the cars in his driveway. There are two other cars that have been sitting around for awhile and while there are laws about selling cars in your front lawn, these cars were not for sale. So, I guess there was some sort of "eye sore" law that they violated. Anyway, my father-in-law is going to the process of figuring out where the titles are so he can get rid of the one that really is junk and then do something with the other two.

Since the older one, a mid-1980's Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham with the V8, had me thinking about possible uses in case some sort of event happened, I went ahead to see if it was even worth saving.

I first attempted to jump start the car, the dash turned on, but it wouldn't turn over. I took that as a good thing. So, we went out and got a battery for the car. After trying a few times to start it, my wife sat in and gave it positive thoughts and it started. After letting it run for a little while, I added some oil, since it needed it. I also filled up the tires, because they were all flat and the car had made an imprint into the dirt. Luckily the tires held the air.

Then, I drove it down to a close car wash, who refused to wash the exterior of the car. So, I had to drive further down the street to a self-serve car wash. The owner told me I should use tire cleaner first and then high pressure wash. It worked well. I also sprayed out the engine bay, which a squirrel had made into a home. After about 30 minutes of cleaning, I was done with the outside.

I went by the gas station and add more gas, I had added gas treatment earlier, and made sure the tires were all filled up correctly. Now, it is parked in my driveway awaiting more work. It needs oil and filter changes. The inside needs to be cleaned out. There are some small electrical issues. But, amazingly, it drives well for the age and condition.

Before

After