Any good tips for firing up motor on engine stand?

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dibbons

dibbons

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Would like to test a supposedly rebuilt engine included with a project car before placing it back in the engine compartment. It's a 1972 318 two barrel automatic with old style points distributor. The tranny is being rebuilt. Never used a home built test stand before. With the starter teeth built into the torque convertor, the first problem will be how to engage the starter motor. Do I need to purchase a manual transmission flywheel in order to start the motor or is there another way? Do I need coolant just to run it a few minutes? What's the best way to supply gasoline? Need an alternator and how should things being grounded? This should be fun but will be a first and any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
"Any good tips for firing up motor on engine stand?"

Yes, just one. DON'T!
NOT a good idea. The only reasonable alternative would be to find a shop with a remote dyno/engine test cell and have it done there.
Seriously...don't go there.
 
dibbons said:
Would like to test a supposedly rebuilt engine included with a project car before placing it back in the engine compartment. It's a 1972 318 two barrel automatic with old style points distributor. The tranny is being rebuilt. Never used a home built test stand before. With the starter teeth built into the torque convertor, the first problem will be how to engage the starter motor. Do I need to purchase a manual transmission flywheel in order to start the motor or is there another way? Do I need coolant just to run it a few minutes? What's the best way to supply gasoline? Need an alternator and how should things being grounded? This should be fun but will be a first and any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
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A. By the time you go through the time & trouble to build a test stand, it would have been less work to install it in the car....

But I digress....


To mount a starter, you will need a bell housing, maybe a spare trans and bell housing, or the important pieces there of....

For gasoline supply, why not just get a container with a nipple, like an old in good shape washer reservoir or something, and mount it above the fuel pump height and just feed it into the fuel pump...

Alternator? Why bother with the whole electrical system. Go with a battery charger. If you are only running an engine, then just hook a battery up to the starter and engine block for ground, then put a battery charger on it and the fast charge should be able to keep up with the coil's demand... (if not, the battery should have enough reserve to keep up before it drains the battery too far)

Use a mechanical oil pressure and water temp gauge...

Note: These are just some thoughts that popped into my head and have not been well thought out, just something to start with and work from there.... Ways of doing it cheap and easy... (the way I like my women... LOL!) :D
 
Ask Lance (73AbodEE), he built one for his 440 before he put it in his Charger a few years ago. I believe that there is a video of his engine running on the stand on youtube....

A couple other members have done it also.
 
If youre only gonna run it for a minute,You wont need a fuel supply. Just fill the float bowl.
If youre gonna run it long enough to require a fuel system, then youre also gonna need to fill the cooling system.You may not need a rad but maybe can use a continuous loss system or a big tank.
Be forwarned; without an exhaust system its pretty loud.
It seems like a waste, unless you plan on running multiple engines, over multiple times for multiple reasons. But then you would be operating a business, so just build it right, from the get go.
 
I agree with "Don't". A friend of mine has an engine run stand (and a real paint boot - good friend to have). The engine run stand is great, but unless you have the ability to actually build/weld something that would be sturdy and supply fuel, electric current, and coolant, just do what mostly everyone else does; stick it in and start it up. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just not sure it's worth the trouble.
 
Update on my question. The stand is already built and the engine is bolted to it with solid steel motor mounts so it is sturdy and ready to go.
 
Has the cam been broken in?.
Upon reflection,it seems to me that a flywheel and bell housing from a M/T is the best option.
A convertor would need support at the snout.While you could bolt up the entire A/T,You would also need to put oil in it to prevent damage to the front hub and pump.That would lead to problems in sealing the thing.I suppose you could cut the ring gear end off the TC and bolt that up, but I wonder if it would be rigid enough to stay engaged with the starter,during cranking. So, all in all, M/T flywheel seems to be the way to go.Besides somebody on FABO should be able to come up with a junker for cost of shipping.And a cracked BH would be cheap. Kinda depends on your time-frame though.

Whatever you do, take precautions as to FIRE. Gasoline loves to burn. It will consume your garage and house without regard to anything or anybody in it.
 
It's a "used" rebuilt engine. In other words, it was already in the car and the PO took it out when the transmission went out. He said the only problem with the motor was that the points keep burning up because he drove it around with the transmission slipping. Since that explanation did not make any sense to me with my motor experience, I want to see if anything else is wrong with that rebuilt motor (it has a tag on it as having been rebuilt by a shop in Fresno, CA) Anyway, it has already been in the car according to what I was told, obviously it is dirty on the outside. So to answer the cam question, it must be broken in by now!
 
Why not just bolt on a trans and starter and do a compression test?
 
harrisonm said:
I agree with "Don't". A friend of mine has an engine run stand (and a real paint boot - good friend to have). The engine run stand is great, but unless you have the ability to actually build/weld something that would be sturdy and supply fuel, electric current, and coolant, just do what mostly everyone else does; stick it in and start it up. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just not sure it's worth the trouble.
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not true bud , sorry
unless to are going to try and turn 5000 RPM on a stand, wood works great !


why not ?? I would much rather find any issues with it OUT of the car before going through the trouble of having to pull it out again. I used a couple 2 x 4's mounted on the engine bosses and chained down the trans. I think its a GREAT idea to break it in first. I even mounted the radiator on a 2 x 4 stand, and used a GM HEI one wire ignition to fire it off. an electric fuel pump works great to .

you naysayers are wussies ! LOL
 

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meh .... i see them starting engines on the ground at swap meets like it was no big thing. a jump box and a cup of gas and you are good...lol
 
I don't understand all the "don't do it" comments. Pretty obvious who has zero experience doing this. Run in on a stand is a great way to break in and tune an engine. You also have the convenience of being able to fix any leaks without pulling it all the way back out of the car.

Really yall, if you're scared of being a mechanic, keep your mouth shut and let somebody actually do it that isn't afraid. I bet I have run in over a hundred on stands. It works fine as long as the engine is properly supported.
 
The things you can do to an engine is amazing...and can't really be hurt. You have a 318...pretty indestructible.

You could run it for a bit without water. ( couple min). But what's that going to show you?
If you want to see it burn your points or if it has head issue, your Guna have to run it for 20 min and need coolant system. Or do comp test as well...

If your doing a quick check...you can do what I do and others to there derby cars. ( I like 318s for derby.

Pos and neg wires from dizzy to battery. Put pos on a switch so you can turn engine off. You don't need alternator.

If your running car for a couple min. Don't do coolant.

Lots of people run 318 in derbies with just a continued loop. loop heater hoses and conect water pump inlet and outlet. They run 30 min no problem NO RAD...( I wouldn't run 30 min with an engine you want to keep without a temp gauge installed.)

You will need man flywheel and manual bell. However remember 318 are internally balanced. You need a 318 ONLY flywheel. Others will wreck main bearings.

Sellers description of burning point doesn't make Sense... Trans got nothing to do with it...and the way I conect points dizzy Streight to battery is harder on the system than in your car with a resistor. I have never had points burn out this way!!!

Good luck
 
RustyRatRod said:
I don't understand all the "don't do it" comments. Pretty obvious who has zero experience doing this. Run in on a stand is a great way to break in and tune an engine. You also have the convenience of being able to fix any leaks without pulling it all the way back out of the car.

Really yall, if you're scared of being a mechanic, keep your mouth shut and let somebody actually do it that isn't afraid. I bet I have run in over a hundred on stands. It works fine as long as the engine is properly supported.
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:sign3:
 
67 cuda Dave said:
meh .... i see them starting engines on the ground at swap meets like it was no big thing. a jump box and a cup of gas and you are good...lol
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It isn't a big thing at all, that's how we used to check them out back in the day before buying or selling one.
 
rustyratrod said:
i don't understand all the "don't do it" comments. Pretty obvious who has zero experience doing this. Run in on a stand is a great way to break in and tune an engine. You also have the convenience of being able to fix any leaks without pulling it all the way back out of the car.

Really yall, if you're scared of being a mechanic, keep your mouth shut and let somebody actually do it that isn't afraid. I bet i have run in over a hundred on stands. It works fine as long as the engine is properly supported.
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x 10

Here is a link to the Engine Start-up Stand that I built.

http://www.bigblockdart.com/forum/sh...Start-up-Stand
 
Hey who needs a test stand?
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndgYgQYrW7Y"]340 Mopar Test Run - YouTube[/ame]
 
^^^^^^NOW THAT is the funniest damn thing I've seen All week!!!!! Hahahahahaha!!!! I freaking love that!!
Watch in the beginning when he starts it, the engine rocks back and forth and his gauge falls down. Omg I'm dying. LOL

And I agree with RRR, just reading this thread makes me want to go build one, and run the 408 stroker that's been on the roller cart Crackedback built me. It's been sitting long enough!!!!
 
The easiest one to build is a box made from 2x12s that the oil pan will sit right down in. Done.
 
RustyRatRod said:
The easiest one to build is a box made from 2x12s that the oil pan will sit right down in. Done.
Click to expand...

Done it in a spare tire with oil pan sitting in it, and a cherry picker holding it from the top...not off the ground, but stoping it from tipping over.
 
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