Car starts right up after 22 years in my hangar.

1600vw

1600vw

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When I rented my hangar I found a car that had been parked in this hangar over 20 some years ago.

I spoke with the owner of the airpark and this was his car. He drove it into the hangar shut the door and never touched it, until I came along.

He said he filled the tank with fuel, changed the oil and parked it. After 20 some years the tires had sunk into the gravel so the car was sitting on the frame. it had so much dust on it you could not see what color it was.

I put the car on craigs list for 700 bucks. I showed pics of it and had someone call me and asked about this car.

I go back out to the hangar with an air tank and air up the tires. they hold air and not one crack in them. we then pull the car out with a tractor. We hose it off and find not one spot of rust anywhere.

The gent comes and picks it up. I just heard back from this man. He said he put a new battery in it and a 5 dollar starter relay and fired it right up. He says it runs great even with 20 something year old gas. He is so so happy.

I am happy for him
 
Wow that's pretty cool.

Did the airpark guy say why he just left a car? If I had a spare car, I'd sell it. Could always use extra money.
 
HerrGruyere said:
What kind of car was this?
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Just about any car will do that, provided the fluids are full and the engine is rotated by hand prior to cranking. Of course, the car might have been parked because it had a mechanical problem, and that won't get magically fixed.

Cars aren't as fragile as people think they are. I have a 40 year old Chevy pickup that's a real POS by modern standards. It starts when I need it to. Which isn't very often.
 
That is impressive!! And just goes to show you that alcohol free gas is much better.

Best i ever had was my old fiero, I parked it in a storage locker threw the keys on the seat and locked it up. Came back after an 8 month deployment, and started right up! no charger or anything required other than turn the key.
 
MAKG1 said:
Just about any car will do that, provided the fluids are full and the engine is rotated by hand prior to cranking. Of course, the car might have been parked because it had a mechanical problem, and that won't get magically fixed.

Cars aren't as fragile as people think they are. I have a 40 year old Chevy pickup that's a real POS by modern standards. It starts when I need it to. Which isn't very often.
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I wish airplanes were like this!! UGH... it sucks that there can be so much drama with airplanes. :(
 
This example gives you a good idea why a hangar is good for your plane. Can you imagine how that car would have look like if left outside for 20 years.

José
 
1983 Chysler Cordoba, with wire spoke hub caps, no rust on anything, not even the frame was rusted.

He said he never did a thing to it besides the battery and relay, never even turned it over by hand, just started it right up.

This man has all the models of this Cordoba and shows them, he never had this version or model, this is the two door model.

I had pics on my other computer but the hard drive went south... or north...lol

The owner purchased a new car and parked this one and walked away.
 
Was the Corinthian leather still soft?
 
N801BH said:
I am betting it was 100LL in the tank......:yes:
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I'd say more likely something like STA-BIL was added to the fuel. A 1983 car would have had a cat.

Still, it's impressive nonetheless.

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
I'd say more likely something like STA-BIL was added to the fuel. A 1983 car would have had a cat.

Still, it's impressive nonetheless.

-Rich
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I thought about that too, but I am not sure STA-BIL was around back then:dunno:.

As for the converter... I figured the guy outright abandoned it, so why would he care if the next guy needed to shell a hundred bucks or so for a new one.

Of course we are only getting one side of the story....

I would have REALLY been impressed if the OP actually watched it start.
 
I wish it were true for bikes. It took forever to resuscitate the Wing this morning, and it's just been sitting the winter.
 
The owner told me he put 3 cans of sta-bil in the tank then filled the tank with fuel untill it was coming out the filler neck then put the cap back on. Changed the oil, drove it to the hangar and parked it.
 
1600vw said:
The owner told me he put 3 cans of sta-bil in the tank then filled the tank with fuel untill it was coming out the filler neck then put the cap back on. Changed the oil, drove it to the hangar and parked it.
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Wow.... That would make a perfect commercial for STA-BIL.. The guy should contact home office and tell his story..:yes::yesnod:
 
I had a 1979 Chrysler Cordoba back in the late 80's in high school. Man I loved that car. Should of never sold it.
 
My mother's '92 S-Blazer sat in the garage for over two years until I brought it back to life last summer. I was amazed when it started right up (albeit with a jump) and ran the same it did before being parked. All it needed was topping off the oil (since changed) and coolant; the 1/2 tank of untreated gas was fine.
 
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