How do you plan to get the engine started without the flywheel on it? Check the flywheel attaching bolts to see if one or more of them have gotten loose. They go all the way through the crankshaft hub, and if one gets loose or comes out, oil can bypass the rear main bearing seal and soak the clutch. My 59 model 235 did that, and ruined a brand new clutch in the process. The previous owner lost one flywheel bolt during a rebuild, and didn't replace it!
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!