Picked up an '88 Formula that only had 11k miles on it. Apart from the headliner which was falling down it looked brand new. As far as I can tell it's been garaged its entire life. Looking at the VIN number online it looks like it was only registered off and on over the years so it's probably sat for years at a time without being used. I don't know if they started it up every now and then or not. I know they put a new battery in it. That's all I know.

So the big question is what do I need to do to this poor thing? Unfortunately the owner ran it for me when I showed up and I needed to drive it onto the trailer anyway, but other than that I haven't been running it. I hope I didn't damage the engine by running it. FWIW it seems to run perfectly fine. Starts right up and runs smooth.

I figure:

Change oil, coolant, transmission fluid, new belts, oil and air filters, new tires, replace distribute cap and rotor, plugs and plug wires.

Anything other advice? Not sure what to do about the gas in the tank.

Thanks!

I would be inclined to run the tank down to about half, then fill it up with fresh. Maybe dump in some dry-gas or other alcohol-based fluid, to help absorb any condensation that may have formed. Heck, regular E-10 ought to do the trick.
Change the fluids. Particularly the engine oil and probably the anti freeze. I'm thinking the tranny will be okay.
I wouldn't worry about the cap and rotor, or plugs and wires. If they're bad, you'll figure it out fairly quickly. There's no reason that they should go bad, just sitting.
I might be inclined to dump a can of Seafoam into the tank, to clean the injectors.
After running it for a while (maybe a tank or two) replace the fuel filter. See if you can back flush it and see what comes out. If it's clean, just install a new one. If it's dirty or clogs up, replace it and repeat. If it gets dirty again, really quickly, you may need to clean out the tank.

Check all the hose clamps, and condition of the hoses. Otherwise, just drive it and watch for leaks (oil, ATF, and coolant.)
Enjoy!

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Raydar
88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550

Praise the Lowered!

Thanks for the advice!!

BTW, love your wheels in your sig picture. What are they if I may ask?

quote Originally posted by peterhirschberg: Thanks for the advice!! BTW, love your wheels in your sig picture. What are they if I may ask?

Thanks!

They're CSA Mullins Gladiators. Came from Australia. (Didn't set out to buy AU wheels. Just worked out that way. Long story. Came from a vendor in Canada. The only wheels I could find at the time that suited the goofy 88 offsets.
Found out the hard way about brokerage fees. )
They are pretty much identical to Mille Miglia Evos, except that the Evos have fake rivets in the spoke, where they meet the rim.
There were also some Sport Edition wheels that looked just like them.
Unfortunately, all of them are out of production.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 07-23-2016).]