IT'S ALIVE!!!! (said in a maniacal voice)

[Longhorn Man]

IT'S ALIVE-ish!!!!

I got up this morning... well, noonish anyways, and I said to my self.. "Andy, you WILL fire that thing up today." And I responded with "Yes sir"
(when talking to yourself, you should always respond to yourself... talking to someone and not getting a response is just rude)
So, I started off with trip to the parts store # 765... give or take a few... I had to pick up a fuel filter, big block bypass hose, a remote starter trigger (got one, but I left it at work... DOH!) and a positive battery cable. (why are they ALL black now... I want a RED friggen cable!) I figured while I was at auto zone, I'll get me some breakfast. (4 small spicy slim jims.. they were out of the regular ones)
I'm still regretting that last part 10 hrs later. Spicy goin in... and spicy goin out.
Bolted up the battery tray, and the rad/shroud to the core support (a tip, bolt the tray on BEFORE the rad goes in) Filled it with water, and a few other odds and ends.... I'm ready to go, I wanna hear it roar.
Grab my dad to sit in the truck while I fire it from outside (no front clip or body harness... no power to the inside of the vehicle) I mostly just wanted him lookin at the oil pressure guage.
Well... I gots fuel... I see it in the new fangled glass filter... I got air... obviously, and I gots spark... I know that becouse i see it shooting out the carb.
Hmmmm, something ain't right.
I double check that I have the fire order right... I already looked 3 times, but hey... 4th time is a charm, right? Well, it's good. Then I realize... I'm not 100% sure which way it rotates. I mean, I THINK it goes clockwise... but I'm not 100% sure.
Well, instead of popping the cap off, I call fine69. He's a wuss and won't answer his phone at 60 MPH on his motorcycle, so then I call longhair. He confirms, and offers to come over and make me feel stupid. (those weren't his exact words)
He only lives like 4 miles from here, so after I fix the small coolant (water at this point) leak on the T-stat, I ask myself... what's he gonna do to make me feel stupid.
I pulled out the #1 plug. The whole time I am screwing it out, I am mumbling to myself... "I've stabbed distributors a dozen times on my old junk... and WAY more than that at work, theya re ALWAYS dead on. I bump it over, get it to #1 on the blow stroke, pop the cap off...
I can't type the word that was yelled loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
About this time, i hear a car pull up and the toot of a horn from the remote lock. I walk out with my head hung low and told Jim what he already knew.
Yep... 180 degrees out.
So we pop it in, and it fires right up. I mean, 2 seconds on the starter, and it came to life. Like I said... I normally install them properly.
No oil pressure.
Crap.
Pull the dipstick out, and it's reading a little lower than it was... so I KNOW the filter got filled. (I know... don't tell me, I already heard it)
So why the heck don't I have oil pressure? It's a mechanical guage... that's pretty much full proof... right? I know for a fact the guage worked when I backed the truck into the driveway.
We remove the line up by the firewall at the little union. Fire it up... no oil.
hmmm....
I remove the oil filter. I want to SEE the oil in it. If the filter is full, then I KNOW the pump was working. However, by this time, I am starting to second guess myself... did I fill it? I never do that... but I knew I should... but why would I start now..
Well, it turns out, I musta had a big 'ole bowl of weaties the day I put that filter on... and my filter wrench is at work... interstingly enough, in the same drawer that the remote starter is in. So we end up ripping the filter up with channel locks and a pipe wrench.
Oh yeah, it was fill alright.
I prefilled the next filter... the one that was there for AFTER cam break in, and installed it. I have 2 witnesses... 3 if you include that pesky voice in my head.
So WTF? Why don't I have a guage reading? There was a nasty rocker click when it was running too, and in my mind, that verified I was getting no oil. I mean, it makes sense... right? Guage says zero, clanking up high in the engine... no oil pressure. Even my mother knows that.
Jim tells me to remove the oil tube and blow some air through it.
So, 30 min later, after shoving some wire through it, I can blow through it.
Put it back on, fire it up, instant reading. Jim said that as it was rollin on the starter, the needle was quivering, as soon as it fired, it pretty much pegged.
The oil pressure was fine all along.
sweeeeeeeeeet
Set the timing, hold the throttle for 20 min... all is good with the world.
I still need to readjust the valves.... esp that loud rocker on the passenger side... I suspect that'll clear up the misfire it has...
So... it ran for 20 min or so... sure, on 7 cylinders, but it was running. Wasn't overheating, the only oil leak was where I didn't snug the oil line down enough, the only coolant and fuel leaks were taken care of before the oil pressure problem was fixed... nothing fell out the bottom of the engine...
So I would say today was a success.
Another first... no exhaust leaks. Installing full donuts on the down pipe will do that.
Jim... Thanks for coming over... esp on a moments notice. I might have figured out the oil line without you, I may have just sat in the corner of the yard crying like a little girl.

I gotta go... this beef jerkey is still killin me.