This has been a great 24 hours!
JS27...we have a couple of leaks...one that we're still trying to locate. It took about 5 min to get the fuel up to the carb, but when it did, there was no stopping it. Still need to work on the timing a little, but for a first start, she sounds pretty good.
My brother (who was a big part in helping us tear the engine down and build it back up) came over tonight to listen to the engine. So, we brought the beast back out checked all the fluids again and lit her up for another 20 minutes this afternoon. She started right up and sounded even better today. We had to add tranny fluid, and finally got enough in that huge pan to get her moving. I was the first to drive (in reverse) into the garage and back out and shifting through all the gears. Sooooo much fun!
About a minute after we started our car this afternoon, one of our neighbors who lives about a block away came tearing down the street and into our driveway. He said "I was on my deck and heard that sound and new exactly what was going on and had to come and see".
Life is good!