Guys,
I'm back at this after many years away. My previous mechanical experience would have me suggest that Deve pull the plugs, squirt some penetrating oil in the plug holes and then rock the crankshaft back and forth until is seems easy to turn over? Checking for stuck valvetrain components makes a ton of sense, too. Once you've determined all the valve train is funtioning then I'd suggest he ground the plugs to a clean surface for a good ground and spin it over some. Keeping an eye on the rocker arms for signs of oil should save him having to prime the oil pump and having to mess with removing the distributor, timing, etc.?
Firing up an engine that has been sitting this long has plenty of potential for issues and it appears you folks are giving great advice! As others have suggested...spraying everything that might be stuck with some good penetrating oil may save other issues from occuring? Assuming that EVERYTHING is stuck might be a great place to start.
