The old Lark has Spark!

[jclary]

Between some chores that I have to do...I have been playing with the Lark that has been sleeping in the "Man Cave" for at least 15 years. Last week I bought a new set of points for the Delco window type dist. and it wouldn't fire. Today, I went to the parts store and bought a new condenser and rotor. After the whopping charge of $3.05, I felt foolish for not buying those parts when I bought the points. I just came in from installing them. In addition to installing the new parts, I took the time to actually use a proper feeler gauge to set the points rather than "eyeball" the setting. I turned on the ignition, hooked up my remote starter, and then connected the battery. Wow, the darned thing tried to fire from the small amount of gas I had poured down the carburetor last week!

I had to discipline myself to not continue until I can rig up a remote tank to the carburetor. I am not sure what I will do with it when I get it running, but I have felt guilty for neglecting it for so long. I am just happy the engine is not seized and looks like it is going to run.

[Bob Andrews]

This Lark nerd says c@@l!

[DEEPNHOCK]

Like a lot of tired ol' wimmen.....
If you meet them halfway..and tickle them a bit

[jclary]

Hey, it runs! Today, I rigged up a temporary gas tank with a clear plastic filter and gravity fed the gas to the carb. The engine kept kicking over but not enough consistent fire to keep running. I put the battery on a charger and went about other chores. Finally, I got back to the Lark and decided to "tweak" the distributor setting. I put an allen wrench in the window and turned about a 1/4 turn to the left. It quit firing at all. Then I returned the wrench back to the starting point and another 1/4 turn to the right.

Hit the remote start button and the little 259 struck an idle as if it had never sat for 15 years. Now to check the fuel pump, brakes, top off the trans fluid, air up the tires, and see if I can pull it out to where I can change the oil and evaluate it.

[laughinlark]

Cool, Running like a Lark. Going to be hard not to take it for a few hot laps if the brakes come up to par. I wouldn't be able to hold back. To weak when it come to those things.

Gordon

[r1lark]

Alright John, where are the pictures???

[jclary]

Alright John, where are the pictures???

I am still trying to figure out this picture stuff. Once I get the car out of the "Man Cave," perhaps I can clean off the cat tracks, reclaim my topsoil, and clean her up a bit!

[jclary]

I am busy with some morning errands but thought I would throw this out for opinions.

Yesterday, when I had the car running,(gravity feeding fuel with a temporary tank) I noticed that some clear wet fuel came from the open fuel line where I had disconnected the fuel pump. Now the tank is pretty empty. I am thinking about pouring a couple of gallons of fresh fuel in the tank, connecting a long hose to the fuel pump, and pumping the gas into a clear container to flush the tank and see if much debris comes out. If it looks good, I will add more fuel, new inline filter, and connect the regular fuel line back up.

[jclary]

Update...I spent a good part of the morning clearing a path through the clutter so I could drive the Lark out into daylight. However, I have suffered a minor setback as the passenger front wheel is seized up. I hooked the car to my truck with a log chain, but when I pull the wheel turns "hard right." I will have to pester my neighbor to hold the wheel straight so I can drag it clear of a post where I can see if I can remove the wheel and free it up.

[laughinlark]

I wouldn't have a problem with running the old fuel out of the tank using the pump. The tank does drop out real easy if you have enough space behind the Lark. If the man cave has a concrete you could use a floor jack to run the car forward. Jack the front up under the shock to hold it in place and ease it forward slowly.


Gordon

[jclary]

Additional update...After bloodying my hands with a slipped brake adjusting tool and one other dumb aggressive move, I was able to free up the seized wheel and get the car out of the "man cave" for the first time since some time in 1994. Here you can see a picture of what so many years of wind-blown southern red dirt, patrolling cats, and other debris can do to an old enamel finish.

A quick rinse with the hose and a little Dollar Store car was suds can do wonders. Still...a long way to go.

[silverhawk]

Very cool! Please forgive my asking, but what is the story behind that '55 coupe beside it?

[clonelark]

He's got a 55 Coupe and is messing with a 4 dr Lark????????????????

[Jim B PEI]

Maybe that is why (for some people) it takes 15 years to get around to a 4 door Lark sedan with blackwall tires (and a six?), although speaking as an unabashed sedan lover...

[jclary]

Very cool! Please forgive my asking, but what is the story behind that '55 coupe beside it?

He's got a 55 Coupe and is messing with a 4 dr Lark????????????????

I acquired the '55 coupe in 1988 at the same time I got my '51 Land Cruiser. Both vehicles belonged to the estate of a friend, customer, and SDC'r who had passed away from a sudden heart attack. Like many of us...the rest of his family were not as enamored with his car hobby as he was. He had told his family about me and my interest in these two particular cars and amazingly had expressed to them that if anything happened to him...he would like for me to have those two cars. (I was unaware of this and had only briefly met his folks a couple of times.)

It was a fast paced time in my life. A few months earlier, I had found my '48 Studebaker Business coupe. I had wanted a business coupe (of any brand) since my older brother had one in high school. My wife (a registered nurse) had been out of work recovering from a wreck for over three years. I was operating a one-man business as an independent manufacturer's representative and in the process of shutting it down to accept a position with a larger industrial distributor. (with benefits like health insurance, and vacations!)

At that time, the Lark was my main business car. You'd be surprised at how many company presidents, engineers, and purchasing agents, rode to lunch in the Lark. The '55 coupe was very important to me and I decided that it deserved a better effort than my "skills" could provide. With that in mind, I decided to concentrate on the '48 coupe, and the '51 Land Cruiser so that I could learn and improve my skills before tackling the '55.

As you have seen in my signature..."Life, it is what happens while you are making plans!," and this is a good example. Over the years, my older brother had hinted that he would like to join me in the hobby. (even with me in my 50's and he was over 60 I still looked up to him) Finally, he offered to pay me what I thought was a fair price for the '55 and paid 2/3 of the price. However, before he could complete the deal, he was struck down with stomach cancer and died. His son has expressed an interest, but not followed up. So, the car remains as it is today.

Whew!...So that's the story on the '55 President Coupe!