"Will it run?" Video Series

[Hellion]

Ran across this this guy on U-Tub by the name of 'Mustie1'. He's a mechanic active in anything and everything with an engine but he has an interesting modus operandi.

In the first video I saw, he was dragging an old Volkswagen bus out of a field where it sat for decades. That in and of itself was interesting but when the time came to see if it would run, he didn't do anything special, or spend untold amounts of cash doing it "the right way".

He doesn't disassemble the engine
He doesn't buy new spark plugs
He doesn't change the oil
...

He just hooks up a good battery and sees if it turns over. Once he determines that the engine is free, he then determines if he's getting a spark. If spark, then he adds fuel. Real fuel, no ether; although since all of these derelicts have bone-dry cylinders, he uses a gas-oil premix just to help lubricate things the first go-around.

The videos can be rather long but his production values and use of a tripod are most pleasing. A good thing to sit back and unwind to in light of other "entertainment".

I don't watch TV nor am I an armchair sportsman...


Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gt142R5rXg

Part II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKCRmekkqq0

Go Kart!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF_X7LMy5lo

And there's another guy who takes 'making it run as-is' to the extreme, "Jonathan W". Some of these engines look like they have no business being disturbed without a complete tear-down and rebuild. Rusty and crusty. Apparently he and Mustie1 know each other. Fascinating stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt-1WxE7zRM

 

[RobertD]

looks like a fun series

 

[Hellion]

I like the videos because the concept they use goes against my preconceptions that the old oil in the crankcase is going to be hopelessly contaminated after a few years, nothing will work like it's supposed to (like the oil pump) and the entire engine innards, being bone dry after sitting for a few decades, are going to have to have some kind of special attention....

When in reality, as long as the oil still drips off the dipstick and looks the right color, a guy can get by. The whole idea is to find out if the engine and the car itself is worth saving, long before any real money is spent.