H/I/C install coming up... Have a few simple questions

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Prime the oil system on with all the valve train in place and valve covers off. You NEED the system primed BEFORE you adjust your rockers or else you're gonna set them wrong cuz the lifters wont be full of oil and the pushrods wont be where u need them to be. Assemble the valvetrain like you would and tighten it snug. Prime the oil system.

Put the long shaft into the distributor hole and onto the oil pump drive shaft. Apply drill and go at it COUNTERCLOCKWISE. Look at the rockers, make sure oil is coming up the pushrods and onto the lifters. Make sure oil is coming up all of them. Once that is happening you know all ur lifters are pumped. Crank over the engine lil by lil and tighten your rockers to the recommended spec (make sure the valve is supposed to be where its supposed to be). Prime oil system one more time. Install valve covers, upper intake etc etc and FIRE IN THE HOLE !!!!

At the bottom of the Distributor you will see a hex fitting, the oil pump driveshaft goes IN that fitting. So basically when you put the distributor in, it slides in over it. The cam turns the distributor and the distributor turns the oil pump. All a oil pump primer tool is a long stick with a hex fittin at the end. So you put it on your drill and slide it over the oil pump driveshaft and go at it.

The tool is almost exactly like this. Your drill goes on the left side and the right side goes on the oil pump driveshaft. You can see the driveshaft when you look down the distributor hole. You can rent the tool at any auto parts store for free or buy it for 15 bux or so.

AutoZone will loan you the priming tool for free. Also, there is no need to prime before rocker installation. If you install them correctly, it makes no difference whether there is oil in the lifter or not - the spring load plunger in the lifter will hold it at the correct height for rocker installation. However, it may make a difference doing it warm rather than cold. So if upon first cranking the valve train is noisy, let the car warm up, and go through the rocker installation again (yes - the upper will have to come back off). I presume you're degreeing the cam and measuring piston to valve clearance?

or you can use a 1/4" socket with a long extension taped to gether so it doesn't fall in. Been using this method for years with great results.

You do NOT need to prime the engine before setting the rocker, repete do NOT need to do this So I agree with Michael on this one.

Just curious as to why an E cam?

Yeah - I kind of wondered about the cam choice too....

Prime it to you see oil come out of every rocker/pushrod, it may take awhile.

I use a 1/2" drill that has some power, you will be surprised how much power it takes...

I check PTV clearance on everything, you never know....

Yes it should clear but it doesn't take that long and it is good practice to check it.

Degreeing the cam will verify the specs, it is possible for the cam to be ground out of spec and you could adavance or retard it to make it closer. With out having the lifter bores corrected it will never be dead nuts, but most are within 1-1.5 degrees of spec if you have a good cam.

Ford racing will tell you that with their aluminum heads (X or Y), the E cam and 1.7 rockers you should check p to v. But here's the deal - anytime you do ANYTHING that reduces p to v clearance (heads with bigger valves, different pistons, cam with more duration, bigger ratio rockers, cut the heads, cut the block, etc.) you should measure p to v clearance unless you're willing to risk bouncing valves off of pistons on a hope and a prayer.

YOUR FRIEND'S EXPERIENCE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANYONE ELSE'S ENGINE!!!! Can't say it more directly than that. Tolerance stacking is different in each engine. Two engines built with the same parts will almost always measure out with different p to v clearance. Stroke that's supposed to be 3.000" has measured out at anywhere from 2.980" to 3.010"; deck heights that are supposed to be 8.200" actually measure slightly shorter or taller - rod length, piston dimensions, wrist pin height, valve length, how deep or shallow the seats are in the head, how the cam is installed (if not degreed - they can be as much as 4 to 6 degrees off of where they're supposed to be), have the heads been cut, has the block been decked -- the list goes on and on. And, I'd be willing to bet your buddy didn't actually measure his p to v - he's simply been driving it without problems (so far) and telling you it'll be ok. Big mistakes all along the way. If he didn't measure his, he doesn't know that his clearance is ok. He could be one missed gear over-rev away from having floated exhaust valves smacking the pistons.

Degree the cam; measure p to v -- it's the ONLY way to know if your engine is in the clear. Degree the cam first -- and most folks find that installing the E 4 degrees advanced (based on the cam card info - set .050" intake open at 4 BTDC instead of at TDC) really helps the bottom end performance of that cam. Once the cam is degreed in, then measure p to v - cam timing impacts clearance. You need a minimum of .080" intake/.100" exhaust.

Hope you're aware that having a cam with a CARB number is no guarantee that your car will pass an emissions test -- but we'll be pulling for you to pass on the first try.

You should have all the room in the world with that cam and heads but as others mentioned it doesn't take that long to do so why skip it. Not to mention if for some strange reason there is interference than it's going to be a very expensive repair.

Your p to v clearance should be fine but always double check. Like was stated by 90notch, just used a 1/4" socket taped to an extension. I used this method with a 3/8" impact.

DropTop - it's more complex than that. The lifter has a spring loaded plunger in it that will compress when you turn the motor over and throw your measurements off. So you need to 1) install a solid lifter of the same height as the stock lifter (most folks disassemble the stock lifter, and wedge the plunger solidly in the up position; then reassemble stock after the test), 2) remove the valve springs and use lighter test springs while watching the stock lifter to be sure the plunger isn't compressing any while rotating the engine, or 3) use another method besides the clay method. I'd either do 1) or 3) because I've seen there be enough friction in new valve seals to compress the lifter plunger even with light test springs.

Here's another way to measure p to v; and I can tell you about the drop valve method if you want to hear about it. It's my preference - you'll need the same equipment you need to degree the cam.

http://www.diyporting.com/PVC.html