Last weekend I tried to start my newly rebuilt 1938 six cylinder Chevy engine. Of course it didn't start. It coughed, stuttered, blew gas out of the exhaust manifold and eventually got flooded with fuel. I wasn't sad because I have been through this with so many engines. I decided to give the engine a week to rest while I went over issues like timing, valve lash, point gap, dwell, and other items. This weekend with the help of one of the guys from the "Danville Dukes" and after some adjustments and tweaking, I turned the engine over and it lit up like a rocket. It was loud since the exhaust system was not there but that's the exhilaration of raw power (not as loud as V8's). I was just so totally excited. So it was successful and the engine is past the hurdle of getting started. Too bad there's no brakes and seats or I certainly would have terrorized the neighborhood with my awesome ride. My buddy was afraid of fire so we had a fire extinguisher close by. Gotta tell you that none of the engines I have ever started after tearing them apart have ever erupted in fire. I have started engines where fire has blown out the top of the carb and out the exhaust manifold but never any disastrous type fire. Whew!