Hard to tell with only a short starter run. Don't know what you have done getting it ready to start. Sounds like it is laboring. I would check the timing, battery cable connections at the battery, starter and ground. Maybe pull the plugs and spin it a few times to loosen things up. I assume new oil. Nice looking car.
Sorry for the long post. In a way, I just wanted to get in writing what I have done so far to be able to reference if needed.
It sat with an empty fuel tank and radiator. I started with the radiator and did a a back flush. Despite quite a bit of rust at the bottom of the pipe between the radiator and motor, the rest was clean. I moved on to the motor and drained the oil.
It wasn’t turning by hand when I first started working on it. I pulled the spark plugs and pour a little MMO in each and tried turning it after a few days. It still didn’t move so I pulled the starter as I read that can often be preventing the engine from turning.
I also dropped the pan and cleaned it out. With the pan dropped, I was amazed how clean the inside was. It had obviously had been rebuilt and looked spotless. It was so spotless I tried to give it a little more MMO and kept trying to get it to loosen a couple times a day over a few days.
After talking to the fleet mechanic where I used to work, I was getting ready to try diesel to free it up. Right when I went out to the garage, I spotted a crow bar off to the side and decided to try using it to pry on the flywheel. Right away I got a little movement, though it was still tight. I opted to forego using diesel and poured a little more MMO in it instead to sit while moving on to other areas.
I replaced the ignition switch (lost key and was a repo), put the starter back on, reconnected the radiator hoses, and swapped the battery. Something was blowing a fuse right when the battery was connected. Checked wiring in the instrument panel, but everything there checked out fine. Traced the sort to the negative side of the starter. Turns out the bolt was touching the body of the starter. Try to make sure it was working by checking the horn. No ahooga from the horn but I heard something. Tried the lights and they worked for a second and went out. I think it might just be the bulb.
I checked the timing and it seams to be close, but might need to be adjusted.
I was going to add a pencil filter in the gas tank, but couldn’t figure out how to get the valve off without messing it up. I filled it with a gallon of gas to check for any leaks in the fuel line and make sure it was clean. All good there.
On Thursday, I filled the radiator and there was a little leak by the bottom hose. Thought it was just the clamp but after messing with it more, it was apparent that it wasn’t leaking from the hose. There is a small hole in the pipe. Two actually. I ordered a new one then wrapped tape and a hose clamp around it for now.
With the leak stopped, I pushed the Model A out the garage. When I opened the fuel line and discovered that there was fuel coming from the carburetor. I shut it and decided to give it a shot at starting. That was the the video. By that point it was late and I decided to call it a night.
Yesterday, I read that the float can get stuck after sitting and a good tap on the carb can fix it. That’s what I did and open the fuel line again and there was no leaking.
Next step will be to try starting again and revisit the timing. After that will be the lights and horn, drain and fill all fluids, hit all the grease points, and check breaks.
My plan is to just enjoy driving it at least for the next two years.
