The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop first start

so, i'm almost ready to start my 1957 235 . the enging was rebuilt and bench ran about three months ago. nothing on the engine has been changed since then.

is there any procedure for first start i should follow?

i did this once before with a friend on a 383 dodge. he had a this octagnal rod attached to a drill. he removed the distrubutor and valve cover and inserted the rod in the oil pump and turned it untill oil was to the top of the motor. is this something i should be doing? if so, is it the same type rod? clockwise or counter?
any info is helpful.
thanks.

Its not a terrible idea to pre-oil the motor after a three month layover. I use an old gutted distributor with just the body and the shaft as a preoiler, electric drill on the shaft. It can also be done with a modified screwdriver or any other of an assortment of modified rods and such attached to a electric drill. I use the gutted distributor because I don't want any trouble with a loose screwdriver flaying around by accident.

Old large flat blade screwdriver. Break or cut off the handle. Chuck it up in your 1/2 inch drill and insert it in the hole the distributor goes in spin it up till you see oil at the top. Be sure to note the location you start at and put the distributor back in the same spot. Do you have to do this procedure? No. Just pull the coil wire and crank without starting for a couple of 15 second bursts. You’ll be just fine.

ok, thanks for the great info.