Ailing RA40 and its 18 RC

[vpatrol]

Hi folks,

I have an '81 celica that was rescued a couple years ago from a paddock I had left it in for 8 years. Drove it up to Brisbane from Tumut and it had fuel issues all the way. I shortly after left it with friends and it has been sitting for another year. Before parking up, they said it would backfire and lurch a lot. The fuel problems I suspected was a gummed up fuel pick up in the tank from 8 years of sitting. Blowing compressed air back through the fuel lines bought a few hundred km's of smooth driving. Went through 4 fuel filters in a week!

Upshot is that I am going to pick up the car and ship it to NZ where it will get restored (don't ask why...lets just say sentimental). I will only have a weekend to have it up and running so it can drive on and off the boat.

What are the likely culprits that I should check first (18rc motor)? I'm not an expert mechanic but can follow directions pretty well. I suspected most issues were with fuel system. hoping a carb clean and maybe dropping the tank and cleaning it would solve most issues. Anything else people know from experience with these motors?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Vince

[Willofan]

What you said is a good starting point, drain fuel & clean out tank, blow back lines, clean out carby and new filter. Then plugs and points with a good tune should get it to NZ