Priming Dauntless New Build- Dont Hate Quite Yet!!

so Im pecking away at this rebuild and its several weeks between fiddle-with sessions as life/wife/work seems to constantly get in the way.

completely rebuilt motor. no expense spared. high volume oil pump. new rocker assembly from TA performance. strong drill motor and correct tool to prime the system. never cranked. get 65 psi oil at filter port and at some weep at the gaps between all of the rockers and 'washers' on the rocker arm. nothing amazing, but all are wet, the drain galley is wet, but its not pouring out. its cold here and the petrolium jelly is thick so wondering if that has an impact. anyway... how often should I prime this sucker? Is it good now that I know I have flow, or do I need to prime it, put in the dizzy, fire it up immediately? or I can I prime it, and let it sit awhile?

 

How long are you planning on letting it sit before you get it running? I would prime it again just before you get ready for the initial firing. Otherwise I don't see a point in priming it once a week for the next several months.
We typically prime the engine, stab the distributor, then disconnect ignition to allow cranking for oil pressure.... then fire it up.

 

With piston airplanes they turn the motor weekly or every other week to be ready when needed. With a project just prime it again with the drill within a few hours before you intend to do the first run and cam break-in and try to run it each week to operating temp for a few min to remove any condensation inside the block.

 

My engine sat for years . doing other things . got back on project . disconnected coil wire . cranked it till oil light went off
connected coil . engine fired right up . only one draw back . water pump frozen from sitting so long
I also have a 231 on engine stand . only thing I did was back off all the rockers . so valves would stay closed while it rested

 

"Keeping the valves closed while resting" has a secondary benefit, it keeps insects like mud daubers from building nests in cylinders, mice, too! Good luck!