Oil Pump Filling During Rebuild

[MercuryMarc]

Novice quesiton here-
I am rebuilding my 250 I6 (69) and I have cleaned the oil pump and am ready to reinstall the pump. It will be a few weeks (maybe longer) before I get the engine back in the car and running.
The manual says to "fill the oil pump."
Will the oil pump hold oil in it for a long time until I fire it up?
I do plan on priming the engine with the drill-attachement in the distributor port when I am ready to start it - does that mean I can skip filling up the pump now?

Thanks-
Marc in SF
63 Comet
69 260 I6/C4 Tranny
Dual Cupholders
http://mercurycomet.net

 

[rickwrench]

Priming with a drill until you see oil at the rockers, before you fire it up, is fine. Good idea to do it after a rebuild is buttoned up too. In Buick/Rover-land we have to pack the oil pump with vaseline to prime it.
Rick(wrench)

 

[KustomSkylark]

I packed mine with vasoline when I put my motor together, it worked pretty good.

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

huh I put mine in after sitting in a dorment engine for a few years. I did use a socket and a "speed wrench" to spin the shaft and check for leaks and oil flow.

 

[MustangSix]

I always just stick an old gearless distributor into the engine and crank with a speed wrench until oil comes out of the rockers. If I crank fast enough I can sometimes get 20-30 psi that way. You can hear the air bleeding out as you turn it.

 

[MercuryMarc]

Thanks for all the replies.
Marc in SF