Can you check compression/leakdown with the engine out of the car?

[bull]

My 383 doesn't run at the moment. I believe it has a fuel problem such as a bad carb or fuel pump but the larger problem is a vibration at anything over an idle. I never messed with the engine much because I just assumed I'd have it rebuilt while the car is being painted. So now it's time to have the car taken to the body shop and I need to pull the engine but I'd still like to use this opportunity to check a few things out while the car is gone. Can I check the compression and do a leakdown test with the engine out of the car? If so how should I do it? And will a good leakdown test and compression check rule out any and all internal problems? Also, could you guys give me some possible clues as to what could be causing the vibration? I ruled out a bad fan but I still need to check all the usual suspects such as flywheel, balancer, etc.

[Chryco Psycho]

while it is not the best way to do a compression test you can do it out of the car , there is no way to warm up the engine so the numbers could read low but will still indicate a problem , obviously you will need the trans attached so you can hook up a starter

[Chryco Psycho]

where is the vibration , engine idling, engine running at rpm but car not moving , or at a given speed while driving

[bull]

where is the vibration , engine idling, engine running at rpm but car not moving , or at a given speed while driving

It vibrates at about 1000+ RPM so idling at about 700 it's ok. This was with the clutch disengaged (peddle up) and car not moving. I should have tried it with the clutch engaged to see if it was a clutch-related problem.

I had a similar problem.
Anything over idle and the motor would shudder and die.
Replaced fuel pump and gas filter ...no joy.
I the rebuilt the 2 barrel and took it to a buddy to check just to make sure I wasnt doing something wrong.
With the problem persisting I dropped the fuel tank and found my sending unit was 95% clogged and alot of crap in the fuel line itself.
After that she smoked up a storm then cleared up and ran great.
Check your gas lines and sending unit.
(hope that helps)

I blew out the gas lines a while back and I just got a new fuel sender today but the car is going to the paint shop in a week or two so I won't know if that would have been the fix. This doesn't really act like a fuel problem. It seems like a balance problem but I could be wrong.

[Chryco Psycho]

the clutch would still be turning but it would have eliminated the tranny at least
clutch plates should be balanced some are not so that could be a problem or you could have the wrong flywheel on the engine