Long story short:
I whave an engine I've never started and want to do so without finishing the build of my car.
What is the bare minimum of things I need to start and run it, for even 30 seconds?
eg. Is the radiator, fan and whole cooling system needed? Can i get away without an alternator if i have a good battery?

Thanks.

PM Mike_byron, or wait for him to see this. He rigged up a simple jig for running engines on the garage floor - I've seen some examples where they build a frame and run a small tank and radiator, but just to start it would be a battery, fuel source (just pouring fuel down the carb will run for 10 or so), exhaust (very important), and a way of stopping it walking around as you rev it. If loose on the floor, you have to have a fairly light-touch on the revs.
KB

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Just tie/rope/chain it off to something so it can't fall over if you give it a rev too , there's a lot of forces involved in an engine running andit's easy to rev it and watch it fall flat on the distributer

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The bare engine is in the car, but nothing else yet.

Radiator, twelve volts to coil and starter solenoid (at least 5 amps available for the coil, so not the supercrap battery charger). As well as a good earth strap and battery cable of course.


Alternator you can do without, but it keeps the water pump working by tensioning the belt.

Gets more complex if you want water temp etcetera, but if you just want to start it up for oil pressure and that fuzzy warm feeling..

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

OK , you would be better with the cooling system complete , if you are only going to run it for 10 seconds or so you might be ok but if you are tempted/excited and keep going you can do some damage which would be a real shame since you are so close . You can do without the alternator but that will also mean you have no fanbelt/waterpump moving water around to avoid hotspots . For my money I'd be fitting the cooling system and alternator even if the alternator isn't wired in , just there as a belt tensioner basically .

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isnt the radiator mounted on the engine anyway? I am going to do the same thing I have an old subframe I was just gunna weld some legs to. how easy would it be to rig up an oil gauge?

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I figure i need to establish that the car starts first. Let it run 30 seconds max.
If it's successful, I'll plumb in the cooling and alternator for some longer runs to test smoothness, and gearbox.
Thanks for the inputs.

Take the time to set it up properly with cooling . gauges. key start and so on, my brother has a 350 V8 chev (ex race engine) mounted on a box steel frame with wheels on it so as he can move it to the front door of the shed , face the extractor's out the door and start it up periodically, it work's a treat. Try and find an old knackered subframe to mount it in to start with and modify it from there, shoudn't be to hard to set up.

Connect up an Oil Pressure gauge to the bare motor even if it is just temporary.....you need to ensure that the pressure comes up smartly before you button off

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"Show me the Mini!"

I used a running garden hose instead of the rad when I tested mini - put the alt on for sure - but don't worry about wiring it in if you don't have the loom in the car.

Subframe and bolt the motor as per noraml to it. Exhaust, Alt (not wired required) but wire up a oil pressure quage "you want to find the pressure". other than the Ign as per normal, you will also need to watch out for the exhaustground clearnce and also the effect it will have.cant say I have seen anyone else set up

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It