My dad bought a 1962 PV544 with a B18 engine brand new in 1962. Some years ago he gave it to me. He stopped starting it around 1985. It's been stored inside since the early 70's. I plan to put it back on the road this summer. I'm looking for advice as to where I should begin the process of starting a car which hasn't been started in over 30 years.

 

Start with the gas tank. It may be fine, but probably not. "bad" gasoline has a very strange smell, and beyond that in 30 years you may have some goo in there instead of gasoline.

If you get it to where you can get gas to the carburetor, and the carburetor is rebuilt, the rest of the engine will likely be okay.

It probably doesn't have any brakes, so that will be another area where you'll need to do some real work.

 

The first thing is to check the brakes ! They are usually the first thing to go bad when a car sits for extended periods of time- brake fluid attracts moisture, and the system may well become corroded, requiring wheel cylinders and or a master cylinder.

Also, before you try to start it, change the oil ! When a car sits through temperature changes for that many years, condensation may occur, and the old oil may be contaminated. New oil is cheap insurance ! Look at the spark plugs- they should be the color of an old chocolate bar - a medium tan. If white, the car was running too lean, if black, too rich ( or an oiling problem ). It would be a good idea to turn the engine over for a couple of minutes with the spark plugs removed and some WD40 or
a LITTLE 10 weight oil squirted into the cylinders before you crank it. This will both lubricate the cylinder walls and give the oil pump time to pressurize the bearings, etc.
If possible, have someone watch the oil pressure gauge while you're cranking it- try to get it above the 1/2 way mark before putting the plugs in and attempting to start it
I'm not sure about the 544, but my 444 has a drain plug on the gas tank - drain it before turning the engine over to hopefully prevent getting the goo moving through the fuel lines, where it will be a real pain to clean out !

Good luck!