I got the engine closed up, filled the car with fluids, and had my first start yesterday! It went well and the car was actually not that loud with just the cat. I also learned a few things.

1) Even though I had the oil pan off to install the Killer B oil pickup, there is still a fair amount of oil in the engine. Tilting the motor to drop it in the chassis must have moved some of this oil back to the pan. I didn't expect anything to come out when I took the drain bolt off so naturally I spent 30 min cleaning up an oil spill on my garage floor.

2) The car wouldn't crank when I tried priming the oil system. I figured out it was just the clutch switch not being fully depressed by the clutch pedal. I adjusted the switch so it would be pushed in further by the pedal and the car started cranking. It took me about (5) 30 second cranks for my oil pressure light to go out. With a minute rest between cranks for the starter.

3) A Mighty Vac is too small to vacuum bleed a 3.5 gallon cooling system (also this car has a 3.5 gallon coolant system!). A couple hundred pumps later I gave up and used a shop vac to vacuum bleed. I just held it to the hose that goes to the barb on the engine coolant pipe (VCP mod). Just kept filling the coolant degas bottle as it got drained.

4) Even with my vacuum bleeding, there was still a little air in the system. My first start got near the hot side of the temp gauge after idling for 15 min. I turned off the car, let it cool down and pull some coolant from the recovery bottle, and the 2nd start never got past half way on the temp gauge.

5) Pour your trans fluid into the dip stick tube slowly. I poured too fast and the fluid burped and spilled on my trans a couple times. I have a bunch of dark water spots on my trans now that I'm hoping I can clean off without damaging the paint.