Q's about 356 oil system

[KevinP73]

I recently acquired a '64 356. The car was parked about twenty years ago due to the owners failing health. I was told and have no reason to believe otherwise that the car was regularly driven up to the time it was parked. The body and interior are typical for an original owner car that has been reasonably maintained.
I want to bring the engine back to life. I've drained the oil, pulled the plugs, inspected the cylinders with a bore scope (they look fine, No deep gouges or rust) removed the alternator belt ( alt spins freely). I don't want to spin the crank considering it's had twenty years for the oil to seep out of the bearings and rods and other passages. Is there a way to build oil pressure from an outside port? Even if it means designing a pump of some sort independent of the on board oil pump.
Has anybody attempted such a thing?

[Miguel Antonett]

After your inspection, Put some fresh oil in it, and manually spin the crank w/o plugs on... you'll feel if there is a "rough" spot, if all ok after several rotations, crank it with the starter - no plugs - it should built oil pressure... few times... if all OK, check the oil for contamination, and if clean... crank it up. 356 engines are strong pieces of machinery.

[930cabman]

True, 356 engines are tough. Does anybody remember the scene from "Everything you wanted to know about sex, ......." from Woody Allen where the VW bug is parked in a cave apparently siting for many years, fires right up and drives away?

It is possible the engine has never been out of the car.

Proceed with caution, I may suggest a compression check just for information sake

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Miguel Antonett

After your inspection, Put some fresh oil in it, and manually spin the crank w/o plugs on... you'll feel if there is a "rough" spot, if all ok after several rotations, crank it with the starter - no plugs - it should built oil pressure... few times... if all OK, check the oil for contamination, and if clean... crank it up. 356 engines are strong pieces of machinery.

^^
This.
You've done a great job so far. Miguel's advice is your next step.

[KevinP73]

Bad news, but I'm glad I asked. The motor wouldn't make a complete revolution. It hit some resistance just before #2 reached the top of the stroke. I popped the rockers off to see if maybe a valve was hanging open, no luck. I popped off the heads and found #2 piston has been burned, badly. I pulled the cylinder off and found the piston has burned past both compression rings. I guess it's time for new pistons and jugs.
This supports my theory that "it was running when we parked it" really means that there is something wrong with the motor and that the seller really doesn't want to admit it.

[NICE 69 S]

The piston you are looking at is #2. Looks like #1 (to the right in the pic) was leaking badly between the head and the top of the cylinder.
Bob B

[KevinP73]

Thanks for pointing that out Bob, my error.
Here's a shot of the other side. Much better looking.

[KevinP73]

Another shot of the offending cylinder.
The car shows about 62000 on the odometer. I think it's safe to say that it's 162000 at least.

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by KevinP73

This supports my theory that "it was running when we parked it" really means that there is something wrong with the motor and that the seller really doesn't want to admit it.

Yes, this should be the #1 rule of both car and engine buying. While there are exceptions, not many people stop driving a car that is working perfectly. Not many people remove a well running engine from a car and let it sit for decades. Unless proven or documented, always assume the worst, and pay accordingly. Better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.