A40 Farina Club

I've not watched it yet, but I'm sure that a couple of hours spent watching this will be a great way for any A40 fan to start the new year...

https://youtu.be/xOUaJuk0_TE

I watched it, I have to say if it was me I take the top off the carb and at least clean the crap out and maybe the jets before trying to start it after 40 odd years and I would have cleaned out the clutch pipe before attaching it to the brand new slave cylinder. It was worth watching but I'm not sure I'd want to watch anymore of his rescue videos.

If only we could all find a car in that condition, wow, lucky man.

And despite the presenter's statements to the contrary, I'm sure that the great difficulty he had in getting the engine started was because the ignition timing was too far advanced. Backfiring through the carb - of which there was plenty - is evidence of this.

The guy was not trained as a mechanic and had very little sympathy for mechanical bits, it was a bit anoying to watch.

I agree - the presenter was affable enough but his clear lack of mechanical sympathy set my teeth on edge quite a bit!
Hammering and levering with a screwdriver to unstick the valves is not good practice, and starting an engine which has sat for 40 years without changing the oil first is, to my mind, stupid.
What they should have done is to remove the cylinder head, dismantle the valve gear, free up the valves and lap them in. That would also allow the cylinder walls to be examined and small amounts of oil to be applied between the pistons and cylinder walls, while turning the crankshaft to distribute the oil.
The programme was entertaining but I suspect that the engine, though now running after a fashion, may have damaged bearings and/or pistons and piston rings