Tips for starting engine on the ground

Well seeing how no advice is being offered I will offer mine. The use of wood for a base will work just fine. Because the engine has nothing to work against the torquing motion isnt that strong. Keep it low to the ground with a wide base and use some common sense. Your tranmission cooler lines,just hook them together. That circuit operates at about 15psi i believe. The output shaft will not move as long as you keep the trans in park. But you still need a yoke to prevent a loss of fluid. Use the biggest battery you can get. Make sure the cables are in good shape especially the terminals. Keep it simple. Power the ignition through a toggle switch and use a remote starter switch for the starter. Or short out the starter with a screwdriver. No alternator,right? Dont use jumper cables to hook up the battery. Give yourself plenty of slack on all connections. Keep your connections bundled and neat. Nothing to trip yourself on. Plan for problems. What if the battery dies? Or it starts overheating? Be careful and have fun.

Thanks for the tips and yeah that's what I figured about the torque reaction from not being hooked up to anything. I watched a youtube video of a guy starting up and revving a 340 literally resting on the ground on the oil pan and it didn't flip over. I am going to go ahead and build a wood frame this weekend hopefully, and it won't just be a stack of planks... gonna use big threaded wood hex bolts or through-bolts to hold everything together. I have done a cam break-in before so I'm aware of the whole 2500-3000 RPM for 25 minutes deal and to just shut it down with no idling if something happens. This isn't a fully rebuilt engine BTW, basically untouched stock shortblock with stock heads cleaned up and a new cam/lifters. I know the engine ran well with no overheating etc. before we pulled it for the 'overhaul' and back then it even had a very slightly leaky head gasket and tons of junk in the cooling passages.

Here's that video, it moves around but it's not flopping all over the place out of control like some are suggesting.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndgYgQYrW7Y"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndgYgQYrW7Y[/ame]