Re: Henry's 55 Constellation

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2012/12/8 15:47:31

i will need help figuring out how to start this thing without the dash in and etc. how does one do that?

Simple. Hook up a battery. Jump from the battery hot post to the coil - this provides ignition and bypasses the ignition switch and other wiring that would be in the dash. Then just jump the starter solenoid to crank the engine. If you want to follow the oil pressure (recommended) install a mechanical gauge. Stick a thermometer in the radiator tank to monitor the coolant temperature.

If you don't have the generator installed the belt drive for the water pump won't function so if you run it like this without the water pump functioning, just run it for a minute or so to avoid localized overheating. Otherwise install the generator and belt. You'll only draw a couple of amps to power the ignition so if the battery has enough power to start the engine it will have more than enough to power the ignition for quite some time, at least an hour or two would be my guess so you don't need to have the generator active. With a fully-charged battery you can generally drive at least 100 or 200 miles without a generator, as long as the only current draw is the ignition.