John Paul, I disagree with the local advice of moving forward on the build with a locked up crank. That's not what I would do.
If you have the crank snout tapped, use a socket and a breaker bar to turn the crank. If you can't get it to turn, something is wrong. If you didn't tap the snout, screw a couple bolts into the flywheel flange opposite each other. You'll use two of the six threaded holes on the flange. Leave enough of the bolts sticking out to catch a pry par. Use that to turn the crank. Once again, if the crank won't turn, something is wrong.
The problem could simply be that the rope gasket is binding too tight and the crank just needs a little help to start turning the first time.
If you can't get the crank to turn using one of these techniques, your starter motor will not have the torque to turn the engine over.
Matt
