Thread: 1971 Comet...need help

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Yep, all the above. Do not try to run on the fuel tank, go get some clean gas in a 5 gallon can (after you do all the things suggested) and run a line from the fuel pump to the can of gas and draw from there. Your stock tank is full of gum, rust and trash.

A while back I bought an 84 Ford that had only 50,000 miles on it but the old lady who owned it parked it in the garage for 4 years and didn't start it. When I dropped the fuel tank it was as if someone had dumped 5 lbs of powdered rust in there. I had to replace the tank and clean out the entire fuel system after I got it running on a separate tank. You might get by with having a radiator shop boil out your tank and maybe put sloshing liquid in it to coat the interior.

You might want to pull the valve covers (the stock gaskets are probably brittle and falling apart anyway) and have someone crank it to see if all the valves are moving ok. A valve might be hung up in a guide. 20 years of sitting can do some strange things to a motor.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

Don