Ok I have gotten to the point where the next step is to fire the engine but to be quite honest I am scared as hell. The car has been dead for over 3 years and since the start of this restoration she has had everything rebuild, redone, refurbished and a few new things added here and there. So I guess my question is before I attach the battery feed her some gas and turn the key what is it those of you who have been in my place have missed in the past? I again plan to go over the wiring again and again. A little info on the car: its a 67 with NOM BB 427 w/tri power. The engine was was bulit by an engine shop and run on the dyno so it should run. I have an MSD ignition system and the only aditional wiring other than stock was the addition of a vintage air system. The wiring harness is new front to rear and would hate to fry it and start over. Any help or advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks Jim

 

Turn the key and have a little confidence in your work....

It will purrrr like a kitten...

Before you actually start it...JUST TURN THE KEY TO START....and watch/smell for smoke just in case...

Then give it a try...

 

As an F-14 test pilot of many years once told me on the flight line.
"At some point you just have to put the tools down and go 'round the horn'"

"Round the horn" is the technique for manipulating the throttle to start these planes!

 

Have you considered getting the guy from the engine shop to come over for a couple of hours and go through everything with you and then be there when you crank it up? since it was no doubt a nice job for them with the dyno test and all seems like they would spare a couple of hours for a good customer and good reference.

 

If it sat for that Long I would pull the distributor and prime the oil pump with a drill the turn the motor over a 1/2 turn and prime it one more time to get the oil everywhere

 

If you had it dyno ed you good. POur a little gas in the vent horn of the carb to help with starting.

 

Push in the clutch, and turn the key!!

 

I'd make sure I had my battery hooked up with a quick disconnect.

It's also a good idea to put bits of a brown paper bag beneath the fuel lines atop the engine - Tri-Power fuel lines can be a pain. The paper bag bits will immediately alert you to any leaks.

Practice the steps of the 'Happy Dance' you'll soon be doing!

 

Been 'round the horn'" many times myself. Man did I love my Tomcat time, nothing better that being at Zone 5 on a black moonless night in the middle of the ocean.

Oh as for the engine start, give it a once over and fire it up.

 

Have a fire extinguisher handy, start it outdoors if possible or at least in a well ventilated area...watch the oil pressure and temp carefully...I think you'll be fine.

Hell if you ain't scared around these cars once in a while what's the point of having 'em?

Mr D.: My last day on the Navy Depot flight line my pilot buddy stood a Tomcat on its turkey feathers on takeoff about 50 yards from me as a tribute. Etched in my memory forEVER!
Thanks for you service!

 

Damn man, BTDT. The first time I fired mine up it caught fire! I said F- it! Had it hauled to the guy who built the motor and the dash fried there. The engine fire was the most scary thing I have experienced.

 

 

No guts, no glory. If you have done good work and been carefull then you can expect a good outcome. Been there many times and never dissapointed. A few minor things sometimes reveal themselves but are usually easily dealt with. Go for it! Pilot Dan

 

As was suggested here somewhere, when installing new harness, remove all the fuses. Hook up battery, check for smoke on non fused circuits, start replacing fuses one at a time etc.

 

Grumman? Al W.

 

No need to prime the oil system. It was run on a dyno so it's already lubed.

Jim

 

Essential:

1. Have a fire extinguisher and a garden hose close by and ready to go.
2. Make sure you have a quick disconnect on the battery.
3. After it starts, keep checking for leaks.

Nice to have:

1. Start it outdoors.
2. Have a helper.

If this engine has been run before on a dynometer, you shouldn't worry. If there's an electrical screw-up, you'll want the ability to quickly and easily disconnect the battery.

 

If it ran on a dyno the cam is broken in and the timing is set you should have a very easy start up. Fill coolant with the front of the engine higher than the back, nose up on driveway works or jack stands under the front end, this helps burp all air from your system. Fill down the thermostat opening if possible, have the heater on wide open full heat to help purge air. Listen as you fill for air escaping, if you hear air, stop and wait, if you keep pouring while hearing air escaping you may trap air in the system. If you dump cold water into a warm block, say 90 degree day, wait at least 15 minutes to start the engine. This allows the block and pistons to adjust to the cold water you just pumped in. You don't want cold water to shrink your cyl wall just before start up.
You can avoid this delay by filling with water warmer than the engine temp at time of fill.
Have a helper around to sit and watch the gages, if you have oil pressure look at everything else while it runs, if no oil pressure shut down and search for the cause.
Once the engine has run and the thermostat is open shut down and re tighten all hose connections. Warm rubber will loosen the clamps, Radiator Hoses, Overflow tank hoses and Heater Hoses. tighten all clamps while warm and you should be good to go. Check your fluids again after the first start up, top them off and enjoy.
Remember a brand new engine will create more heat than an old broken in engine so watch your Temp close the first 500 miles.

One more thing, if the car has been sitting more than 6 mos, drain the old gasoline and replace with new fresh gas. Many engines have stuck valves on start up with old gasoline.
It is a pain to flush the old fuel out but it is a much bigger problem to need a rebuild of your new engine in addition to still needing a fuel flush.

 

Ok, Saturday is Start day. I installed the oil pressure line today and primed the engine to see if I had oil pressure--Check oil pressure. I filled it with coolant...no leaks another check. I went over all the wiring and it seems like all is good just need to hook it up to the battery and see what happens. There is no gas in the car so what is the best way to prime it in terms of fuel delivery? I am waiting until a friend of mine can be present to have another set of eyes and another nose to hopefully enjoy the sweet smell of hydrocarbons oozing out the side pipes opposed to the smell of wires frying. I will post a video of the car either running or on fire...stay tuned to see what happens after this girls 3 year slumber...Thanks Jim

 

You can fill the float bowls through the vent tubes with a syringe.