The last time I installed a rope seal, I made a tool from an old 4" diameter piston machined down to 3 7/8" which is the size of the seal surface on a stovebolt crankshaft, and used it to roll and pack the seal rope into place. I believe there is a picture of me using the tool in John's article on the buildup of his 261 engine. I used a piece of broomstick through the wrist pin hole as a handle for the packing tool. Roll the seal firmly into the block and the bearing cap and shape it to the exact radius of the crankshaft. Use some oil or assembly lubricant on the crankshaft- - - -a dry seal creates a great deal of drag.

Wrap a piece of thick leather around the crankshaft snout to keep from scarring it, and use a large pair of pliers or a pipe wrench to help turn the crankshaft. The seal will increase the turning torque a considerable amount.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!