Starting an engine that has been sitting several years....

The cylinders were covered with a light coat lithium grease, I put a small amount of 30 weight oil on the piston tops, and covered the cam with some cam lube I had knowing the engine would be sitting a couple of years. It has been longer.

I can see inside the tops of the cylinders, and I see no rust there. The engine turns relatively easy by hand (12:1 compression). I obviously can't speak for the condition the rod/main bearings are actually in, or the camshaft since I can't see them.

I know with an engine that has been sitting some risks exist when it starts. I got to wondering on gaskets yesterday. The water pump, head, and intake gaskets were installed and the engine not started since.

I have an electric water pump, so I can obviously test the water pump gasket before starting the engine. Should I go ahead and replace the head gasket/intake gaskets to be on the safe side?

As far as other things, I am going to run zinc additive in the oil and run the engine about 15 minutes just like it is a new break in.

I would think the gaskets would be fine. Prime it up, bump it over and prime some more. Bust her off and see what happens!

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I definitely do plan to prime it, but good thought on bumping and priming more.

If it's out of the car, put a bell housing on it and a starter and spin the engine with the starter with the plugs out and have a drill and prime it at the same time, if it's a roller cam.

It will flush everything and there will be no load on any components.

If a flat tappet follow the others advice directions.............

It's a flat tappet, and in the car.....

He had better not bump it over very much or it will wipe the cam lube off and lose a lobe on start up.

Fwiw, nothing is new in the engine. It's a used cam, i just coated since i had the lube and new it would sit.

If that's the case, do what I suggested, and put a 200 amp charger on it and spin it fast with a drill motor on the pump.

The starter won't get hot cranking without plugs in it.

I might even change the oil and put something thin in it for flushing.

The thin oil idea might be worthwhile as well. Cheap insurance, lots of waste oil though. It beats a wasted engine. I think where your coming from is to loosen up debree with a lower rpm? I have a no bypass filter for starting it back up as well, since I had considered some debris might flow.

I’ve had a bit of delay. The transmission would not go back in the way it came out (from underneath) I have to pull the engine and my lift is 60 miles away. I don’t have a truck and been waiting for someone to bring it, but looks like I’ll need to rent a truck and get it.

During the downtime I’ve been preparing other things for the restart of the engine. I pulled the valve covers today to set the rockers, to my surprise it looks like new and I take that as a good sign!

I wouldn't spin it while priming because you're flushing out the assembly lube. It's designed to be tacky for that very reason to cling to your parts until it gets running. You've already verified it still turn easy. Just prime it up good land let her rip. Tripplie check that everything is buttoned up befor you start to prime and make that the very last thing you do before you try to start it. Have the dist cap and plugs wired, in phase where all that's left is literally drop in the distributor and fire it. Keep the rpms up , it'll be fine.