I love the idea of the dowel trick to blast out any sludge or debris from the oil passages!
That's what's so cool about this site... it's oozing with experienced wrenchers who have many tricks up their sleeves.
Rick, you might also pull the distributor and use a screwdriver blade (I use a long wood drill bit) in a drill to spin the oil pump. I'd want to insure that it's working before running the engine too much.
