Hi All
As has been said the engine will run fine without the instrument panel as long as you jump the ignition. But be careful to protect the loose ends of the harness if all the other engine connections have been made up with the harness. Obviously be careful of the voltage regulator and amp meter short or ground out the wrong wires and you may damage the generator.
As Alex mentions I now run all my engines on a test stand, doesn't cure all the run in problems but does save time sorting out things before the engine is in the truck. My instrument panel is sort of generic so that I can run almost any engine on the stand. Video link is
http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.com/CMP%20Videos.htm first item on the list or the Engine testing page
http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.c...ineTesting.htm
Cheers Phil