Midget Race Car Starter?

As a lark, just purchased a Hilleg*** Midget race car at Hershey....nobody mentioned that midget race cars have no starter. Duh! Oh, just push or pull it on the race track. OK but if you just want to start it in your garage for a tune up or to impress your friends...how do you start it?
This one has a Flathead Ford, an in/out trans.

 

***uming that the block still has the cast in bellhousing extension and that the in/out box looks like this: there should be enough room to get something like an automatic transmission flex plate between the crankshaft and the splined coupler that drives the in/out box's input shaft. Then a block mounted starter. I don't know if anyone has ever done that, but it could be done, given some ingenuity... The cost? Well I don't have a clue...

And because of the in/out box, you'd be able to start it when disengaged.

 

YouTube’s racing shed had a previous channel called ivans shed where they put a starter on the diff with mixed results

 

Many guys currently running midgets in vintage events have adapted starters to the V8/60's. It is important that the rear cast bellhousing portion of the block was not sawed off. I recently sold my old midget to a guy who took out the Chev II 4cyl. and put a V8/60 in it with a starter for the very reasons you mention. Let me know if you need help and I can put you in touch.

 

Could you build a 'plug-in' starter to slip into the normal front crank bolt that was used for the original hand crank? Set the car on GOOD jack stands and have at it.

 

Many v/60 midgets have a crank driven water pump. So unfortunately your suggestion wouldn’t work.

 

Thanks for clueing me in!

 

OK Tractorguy...after several futile attempts...I give up....I should have asked you for the name of the new owner of your midget.... Pleeze ...we need help

 

I will get in touch with him and let him know you are looking of info and get his OK to share his phone number.

 

If it has a quickchange, some guys pop the cover, pull the gears and rig up an Indy style starter connected to the top shaft. Not ideal, but......... I feel your pain, but I have a long enough driveway to push start our sprint- still bugs the neighbor lady though. I can almost get it stopped before I end up in the street.