I rebuilt several engines over the years. I would always have my local machine shop install the crank and main seal, and I would do the rest. Once the long block and heads were installed, I would use an oil pump primer rod to pump oil through the oil passages. I would rotate the crank a few degrees, then run the oil pump for about 15 seconds seconds, then repeat. I would do this until I saw oil coming out of all of the rocker arms.
On one engine, I had one rocker arm that wasn't getting oil. I took the rocker arm off, confirmed the push rod wasn't bent or clogged, and spun the oil pump again. No oil was coming out of the lifter. I took the lifter out, looked directly into the lifter bore, and had a friend hit the trigger on the drill. A solid stream of oil hit me right between the eyes. I ended up going to the emergency room over that. I finally went back to the parts store and got a new lifter.
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