I read somewhere about starting a T by turning a rear wheel, with the wheel jacked up of course.
Anybody ever done it? The reason I ask is my "new" T did not come with a crank handle or a bottom pulley. I know that the belt would not be turning without the pulley. Can I start and run it briefly using this method?

Maybe I can turn the engine to prime the cylinders by turning the rear wheel. Then use the starter. Uh-oh I just remembered - The driveshaft is not in the car. Scratch that idea. I guess I'll have to go ahead and buy a pulley, clutch hub, and handle, or install the driveshaft.

If you didn't have a crank or an electric starter, it would be much easier to start the car by pushing or pulling it and popping it in high gear than trying to spin a rear wheel by hand.

If you already have an electric starter, don't know why you would want to waste your time and muscles by spinning a wheel in order to prime the engine.

I've never heard of using a rear wheel to start the car. I have heard of jacking up the car in cold weather to prevent running yourself over due to a lack of a true neutral coupled with cold, thick oil.

I would be quite scared to try what you are describing; to get the most bang for the buck the car would have to be in gear and all it would take is a slip to cause a runaway T / potential tragedy.

You should be able to find a crank handle for next to nothing. If I were you I'd do it the right way; you're going to want a crank handle eventually anyway.

If I use the starter, would it hurt to run it for a short time without the crank pulley?

You will not hurt a thing. Keep oil and water in it and you will be totally fine. The T engine is different than many other in that the pulley is just a pulley and not any type of harmonic balancer.

I bought my first T in about 1976,it had been sitting for at least 25 years in a dry barn,I brought it home,put gas and a battery in it and tried to start it.It cranked so slow on the starter,I knew it would never start.I then jacked it up and used my work boot heel to spin the back wheel and lo and behold it started.I used my heel on the wheel lug and I guess I was lucky,I knew absolutely nothing about a T.It smoked so bad for a while I had to run out of the garage

Except that the crank pulley does drive the fan belt. Yes you can drive a T without a fan but I wouldn't do it for a long trip or on a real hot day.

I have started my early cars using the rear wheel on very cold days when I needed the extra leverage to spin the motor. I actually think it is safer than spinning the crank in the event of a kick back. I would not recommend it but it does work in a pinch

You might be able to start the car by turning the wheel, but it seems to me that you could be injured very easily by the wheel suddenly turning very fast as the engine started. Maybe more than just a broken wrist, but more like fingers or hand torn off! I wouldn't try to start it that way.]
Norm

Oh hell, put a roll pin thru the hole and install a crank, why are you screwing around with trying to start with a rear wheel. Running for a short time isn't going to hurt anything.

For that matter, lame brain here finally just thought that heck, it really doesn't take THAT long to pull the radiator and guess what..INSTALL a friggin pully! How novel! And crank handles aren't that hard to locate either. Sheesh.