Thanks for all the replies. I use the rope seal because they are supposed to seal longer than the rubber seal. I assembled this engine myself so I know the pistons are not in wrong and I also know the bearing (cleatances) clearances are OK. The engine will spin as it should with a light drag until I sock down the rear main cap. I have also measured and plastigaged the rear main bearing as well as all other bearings. The shop that did the machine work says the rope seal will make it hard to turn and they do as Tony says, they build the engine and put in the rope seal last. Live and learn. I did try the sugestion to make sure everything was OK electrically and used real battery cables instead of the jumper cables. This got the motor to spin, though not very fast.
Thanks
