The truck has not been started in a year. What possible damage could occur if I tried to start it up after it sitting for so long? I was kind of just planning on trailering it away and then doing all the maintenance afterwards.

 

The most wear on an engine occurs during startup. And that is overnight. Just think what overyear would be like. The cylinder walls are likely dry and all the lube will have run out of the bearings. So, the best approach would be to pull the plugs and squirt lube into each cylinder. And pull the distributor and spin the oil pump to prime things. But, that would prevent you from test-driving it and that may be worth more than the potential damage.

 

What would be a safe amount of oil to put into each cylinder?

 

Spray in something like WD40 or PB Blaster, maybe 2 or 3 seconds worth. Then leave the spark plugs out to spin the engine the first time and it'll spit out any extra oil. Then put the plugs in and fire it up.

If you put in too much oil and put the plugs back in you could have a hydraulic lock and cause real problems. And, while 2 or 3 seconds isn't likely to be too much, it is safer to spin it over w/o the plugs to make sure.

 

If you have a can with oil which you can squirt, just put 1 or 2 small pumps [<1/2 teaspoon] in each cylinder and leave the spark plugs out while you turn the engine. You can take a wrench on the crankshaft pulley and slowly rotate the engine. It will not be hard with the plugs removed. This will distribute the oil and if too much was in the cylinder, it will be pushed out through the spark plug hole.

 

Pull the plugs. That's a good idea. The wear on a crank comes from no oil at start up while the bearings are fighting the compression of the motor. So by pulling the plugs the cylinders cannot compress and will also prime the oil system back up. So yeah crank it a couple of seconds after adding oil to the cylinders, let it rest a few seconds and then crank it a few more. Following that put the plugs back in and try to start it.

 

Loosen the fan belts and spin the water pump, alternator, power steering pump, and smog pump to make sure they aren't seized or rough also. Check ALL the rubber hoses in the fuel and brake system, they could be dry rotted by now. I'm also going on the assumption you have a carb so watch it very carefully when you fire the truck up for leaks.

 

Keep a fire extinguisher nearby when doing the initial start-up.

 

Aside the above posts...Please define "fresh rebuild".

 

Warn Premium Hubs may not be a bad idea either.

 

* Check ALL Rubber for Dry Rot/Cracks:
Vacuum
Hoses
Belts
Tires
Brake Flex Lines/Hoses
Door/Hood seals
* Brake System:
Pad/Shoe life as well as disc/drum wear
* Suspension
Bushing/Grommet wear
Obvious cracks/breaks in structure
Joint wear
* Driveshaft U-Joint slop
* Cab/Bed Mount to frame Cushion/Mount wear
* Shock/Spring resistance
* Exhaust integrity
* All Lighting functioning properly
This is aside the obvious fluid/filter changes.
Hope the truck is as original as possible !

 

So True !