Michael,
Your suggestion for BBQing the engine reminds me how mechanics used to start Big dozers, and scrapers. These were fairly old units with no electric strater--they used a small (recoil started) gas engine ( pony motor) as a starter. On cold mornings, after they finally got the pony motor running, they'd engage it and it would instantly die. All that cold, thick oil just didn't want to move. Their solution was to take a large pan they used for draining the oil for this equipment--probably 10 gallon capacity--and put a gallon or so of diesel in it and set the pan on fire. Then they'd slide it under the oil pan of whatever they were trying to start and go have another cup of coofee. After maybe a half hour, they'd come back outside and restart the pony motor and then the big diesel. It usually worked!