Starting Handle & hole at front to put it in?

PINBALL

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
586
Reaction score
50
Age
74
Location
East Grinstead
Website
www.coin-opcommunity.co.uk
Your Mercedes
124 E230 / 124 E220 /124 E280 /210 E320 CDI Wagons
Can anyone remember the last car they owned that came with a starting handle supplied with car from new?

My old Standard 10 and early minis with floor mounted starting button were all supplied with these.

Fond memories of my uncle almost dislocating his shoulder trying to get his Humber Hawk restarted after battery flattening out.

The knack to it as i recall was to find the most resistant stroke before pushing down in a strenuous way and letting go immediately before it kicked back and fractured your arm in some cases.
Maybe similar to the kickstart on old BSA / TRIUMPH'S.

Do motorbikes still come with a kick start ?
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
I've never owned a car with a crank handle ;) And my 97 TDM850 is electric start only though my Suzuki from the 70s was kick start only.
 

Noelmc

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2016
Messages
195
Reaction score
39
Location
Peterborough
Your Mercedes
CL500/2005/4966
Had an old herald with a handle, not sure a mini had one tho, transverse engine and all that?
(Don’t fold your thumb over the handle).
 

umblecumbuz

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
4,431
Reaction score
1,875
Location
Wales and Gozo
Your Mercedes
S204 and CLC 204 cdi, MX5, Kia Soul
I seem to remember an early Mini with a starting handle that went through the nearside wheel arch?
Or it was offset through the grille to the nearside?
Sounds crazy, but the mental picture is definitely there.
Does anyone else remember such a thing? Please ...!
 

Ken_R

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Messages
691
Reaction score
203
Location
Worcestershire, UK
Your Mercedes
W203 2006 C230 Estate
Does anyone else remember such a thing? Please ...!

Wot you been drinking? I'll have some.:)

If you think back to the Mini then the radiator was sited low down and the crankshaft would have been just above the wheel hub. The only way I think it could work if the the dog was on the dynamo but then the inner wing wouldn't have had the strength to support the forces.

I remember the Standards. I had a Standard 8. The one without a boot. Well, it had a boot but the only way in was to fold down the rear seat backs.:p I put a Herald 1200 engine in mine. Great fun.:D
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
I remember in my first job removing the handcrank start facility from Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines out of DC-3 Dakotas thus making them Koffman start only.

That always impressed me... imagine hand cranking a 30 litre engine!!!
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,324
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
1977 Land Rover Forward Control.
Hand cranking a 3500 V8... Like that's not going to hurt when you get it wrong (apparently broken wrists and arms were a real risk).
 

umblecumbuz

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
4,431
Reaction score
1,875
Location
Wales and Gozo
Your Mercedes
S204 and CLC 204 cdi, MX5, Kia Soul
Wot you been drinking? I'll have some.:)

Courvoisier, as it happens - but the mental image was there before I raised the first glass!
I am certain that there was a weird starting handle arrangement on the early Minis.
Dunno how I'd go about checking that out, but the record must be there somewhere.

Or else ... Getting old and senile.
 

Naraic

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
10,686
Reaction score
1,274
Your Mercedes
2005 CL500.
I had a Minor 1000.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,324
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
I seem to remember an early Mini with a starting handle that went through the nearside wheel arch?
Or it was offset through the grille to the nearside?
Sounds crazy, but the mental picture is definitely there.
Does anyone else remember such a thing? Please ...!

I think you're correct as I have a vague memory of the crank bolt on my first mini (1962 mini traveller) having the dogs on it for a crank handle. I know the Cooper S (1965 1275) one didn't.
 

umblecumbuz

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
4,431
Reaction score
1,875
Location
Wales and Gozo
Your Mercedes
S204 and CLC 204 cdi, MX5, Kia Soul
Thanks Naraic.
I am not going mad after all!
I had visions of my father putting a long starting handle into a Mini wheel well, and that photo link is exactly as I remembered it.

Back to the brandy!
 

penton

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2011
Messages
51
Reaction score
6
Location
Harefield Middlesex
Your Mercedes
W163 ML 2002 320 R170 slk 230 komp.
Renault 4 which I had from new came with a starting handle, I also had a second hand Citroen Mehari for a few months which had a starting handle ( and a trafficlutch which was great when stuck in a traffic jam )
 

Yugguy

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
2,241
Reaction score
566
Location
Rugby, UK
Your Mercedes
C220CDI W204 Elegance Comand
Dad had a Morris Minor.
Crank! Nothing.
Crank! Nothing.
Crank! Fire. "Ahhhh, fu*****"
 

lasa

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
82
Reaction score
48
Your Mercedes
E Class estate E212/ 2012/E220
Last edited:

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
Not sure what year this Lada would be, maybe someone can work it out from the registration plate (NTU 230V).

I can see what appear to be green and brown wheelie bins in the background, can't make out the other cars or indeed if they have UK reg plates.

http://auclip.net/play/clip-lada-2102-starting-from-cold-using-starting-handle-AuPRMaXqKqJa0.html


edit: apparently went on sale in Britain May 1974, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAZ-2101

First registered 13/08/79!
 
OP
PINBALL

PINBALL

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
586
Reaction score
50
Age
74
Location
East Grinstead
Website
www.coin-opcommunity.co.uk
Your Mercedes
124 E230 / 124 E220 /124 E280 /210 E320 CDI Wagons
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Dad had a Morris Minor.
Crank! Nothing.
Crank! Nothing.
Crank! Fire. "Ahhhh, fu*****"

Ahhh how well i remember, cuddled up in mums arms while dad had to get out in the rain to crank the car, while mum n aunty on the back seats, were trying to suppress giggling at him, and then being more than cheeky to ask that he make cups of tea from the meth's stove in a metal biscuit tin in the boot.

Oh such language after that request had us all in fits of laughter all the way home, in the battleship grey Ford Popular mk1.
 
OP
PINBALL

PINBALL

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
586
Reaction score
50
Age
74
Location
East Grinstead
Website
www.coin-opcommunity.co.uk
Your Mercedes
124 E230 / 124 E220 /124 E280 /210 E320 CDI Wagons
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #20
T
Was that the E93A, or the 100E? I used to have a couple of new starter motors for the E93A. The 'solenoid', if you could call it that, was cable operated.:)

Thats a very good question - that deserves a very good answer.
 

Avantgarde Automotive, Mercedes-Benz and SLR McLaren specialists. Service, repairs, diagnosis and motorsport preparation.
Unit 14 Hither Green Trading Estate, Clevedon, Somerset, BS21 6XU Tel: 01275 217270 Email:steve@avantgarde-automotive.co.uk
www.avantgarde-automotive.co.uk
Top Bottom