Tips or Tricks for noob?

[Pringle]

Let me start by saying I am a "Car Guy", but I've never driven let alone owned anything older than a 1994.

I've recently come into possession of a 1977 Chevy C10.

I was just wondering if there were any tips or tricks you would give to someone who's never owned an older vehicle like this.

I've heard/seen people pumping the accelerator prior to starting? Is that a thing? Lol

Which parts are common points of failure?
Which parts do you recommend addressing first?
What do you do first when taking on an older vehicle?
ETC


Thanks,
-Jared

[Irish_Alley]

you can pump the accelerator if you have problems starting it. i wouldnt unless i had problems with the truck sitting for a while.
brakes are a problem theyre not abs or rwabs, so give yourself some time to stop or get used to how they stop.
as any old truck/car check all your suspension parts cause they will have a lot of miles on them some will be real hard. check your frame for cracks

i know its a little late but you can use this check list for things to look at

Areas to look at when buying a 73-87 Truck

[Captkaos]

I would inspect and replace the important things first:  Brakes, hoses, fluid changes, u-joints, shocks, cap & rotor, spark plugs & wires, wipers, lights etc all the wear parts.
Then I would go through and check/test functionality on everything  horn, blinkers, lights, accessories, windows, wipers, brakes, heater, AC etc and fix the most important first
Generate a list and start checking things off.
If you didn't replace them above lube everything.

Or were you looking more for temperamental issues.
Check the oil, power steering, coolant, air pressure weekly to establish it isn't going low...

[Jason S]

Something else, along with what Irish and Capt said.

I've never driven let alone owned anything older than a 1994. I've heard/seen people pumping the accelerator prior to starting? Is that a thing?

Carbureted vehicles do not necessarily act like a fuel injected vehicle.  Pumping the foot feed can set the choke and pump some gas into the intake to get a cold engine started.  A warm engine with a properly functioning carburetor shouldn't need the choke or accelerator pumped.

Depending upon the carburetor condition, choke operation, temperature, humidity, ignition system, age of fuel, etc. the engine may or may not fire right off. Pumping the accelerator excessively can flood an engine with too much fuel. If that happens, you can keep turning the engine over (no pumping) to try to clear out the excess fuel from the cylinders or walk away and wait for it evaporate out (or get out the can of starting fluid).

What do you do first when taking on an older vehicle?

What exactly do you have to work with? In other words, is the truck currently operational or was it just pulled out of a barn?

[Pringle]

The vehicle has been sitting in his yard for at least a few years. Has been driven/ran since the last time Google drove by tho. You can see it from the street and it wasn't oriented the same way as it was on Google Maps.