To prime a dry sump system, remove the belt from the pump and spin the pump over with a ½-inch electric drill. If the pump shaft doesn’t have a bolt, thread one into it with a nut between the end of the shaft and the bolt head. Lock the nut against the end of the shaft and use a ¼-inch drive socket to fit the bolt head. A ¼-inch drive extension will fit the drill chuck and drive the socket to spin the pump. The rest of the procedure is the same as for a wet sump system except that you’ll also be able to check and adjust the level of oil in the tank while you’re priming the engine. The oil level in a dry sump tank should be below the height of the top oil return line. If the level is too high it will cause the oil to foam and aerate. Air in the oil will cause cavitation and premature bearing wear.
The cooling system is the next area of attention. It is imperative to avoid air-lock. Whenever the radiator is lower in the chassis than the top of the engine, a surge tank should be mounted at the highest point in the cooling system, and the system should be filled at this point. As an alternative, remove the upper radiator hose from the radiator and block off the outlet from which it was removed (stuff a clean shop rag in it), and very slowly pour hot tap water into the radiator hose as you hold it upright. Hot water will pre-heat the block and minimize the chance of excessive wear or scuffing during initial run-in. If the engine is equipped with an electric water pump or water pump drive, use it to circulate the water through the system. Check for leaks. Always re-check the water level before starting the engine. Lay some clean cardboard under the engine to make it easier to spot leaks.
If you have an electric fuel pump turn it. If not, prime the carburetor by spinning the engine for a few seconds to allow the carburetor float bowls to fill slowly and avoid banging the needles into the seats. Check for fuel leaks and adjust fuel pressure. Be certain to look into each throttle bore while you are pressurizing the system to insure that fuel isn't dripping into the engine. Stuff some clean rags around the accelerator pump discharge nozzles to catch the fuel and work the pump arms individually with your finger until the accelerator pumps are primed. Remove the rags and the fueled engine will be ready to fire.
For the initial run-in, use spark plugs that are one heat range hotter than your racing plugs and pre-set the ignition timing a few degrees advanced of what the race setting will be (for less combustion chamber heat). After the engine has been started for the first time, hold it for five to ten minutes at 2,000 to 4,000rpm will allow all of the parts to wear-in properly. If you have a performance street engine with a new flat tappet or hydraulic cam and lifters, you may want to run it even longer. Keep an eye on oil pressure and water temperature so that you can shut the engine down if either reading becomes excessive.
If your race car has a manual transmission, do not hold the clutch in while starting the engine. This puts pressure on the crank thrust bearing and can cause excessive bearing wear before you get out of the shop. While starting the engine, jack up the rear of the car and leave the transmission in neutral. You can now warm-up the driveline while the engine is running. This is a good idea before making your first run and it is especially important in cold weather. Make sure that the car is securely resting on jack stands supporting it under the rear axle housing, to ensure that the driveshaft and u-joint angles are similar to actual racing conditions. It's very important with a wet sump oil pan that the rear of the car is not raised a great deal higher than the front, as this could cause the oil to move away from the pickup and damage the engine.
Preserving the peak engine performance levels will be easier if you continue with the following procedures after the initial startup, and after every race:
Ø Turn off the electric pumps while the engine is still running to allow the fuel level in the bowls to run down slightly. You don't want to empty the bowls completely, just to drop the level enough so that it doesn't slosh out when the car is being trailered.
Ø Check for oil or water leaks.
Ø Take a leak down test of the cylinders and record the results, being sure to include the engine temperature to validate your comparisons. This makes it much easier to keep track of the engine's condition from week to week and to know when it's time for a freshening up.
Ø Readjust the valve lash while the engine is still hot.
Ø Drain the oil and remove the oil filter. Examine the engine oil closely and then cut open the oil filter and inspect it carefully. A new engine may deposit a lot of scary looking stuff in the oil and filter. Have someone with experience inspect the oil and filter to show you what you need to be concerned about and what you can ignore. With an aluminum-rod engine there may appear to be a lot of the metal in the oil after the initial startup or the first week of racing, but there will be noticeably less thereafter.
Ø Drain the cooling system or at least relieve the pressure in the system. This will alleviate water leakage problems caused by thin areas or pinholes in the cylinder heads or pan rail area.
Ø By now the engine will have cooled down enough to perform the following:
Remove the spark plugs one at it time and spray WD40 into the cylinder. Give each bore a 3-5 second blast and be careful that the plastic extension tube from the WW40 doesn't fly off into the cylinder. This treatment will minimize surface rust on the cylinder walls and valve seats which accumulates between races, thereby extending piston ring life and minimizing wear on the next start-up. At this time, I recommend that you replace your race plugs with warm-up spark plugs.
It is important to always degree-in both warm-up and race plugs simply because this makes them easier to read. Always degree your spark plugs even if there isn't piston-to-plug clearance issue. Degreeing the spark plugs insures that they see similar heat and combustion conditions from cylinder to cylinder
If you want to re-torque the cylinder heads, wait until the engine has cooled down completely and follow the recommended sequence. If you re-torque the heads while the engine is still hot, you may over-torque them.
I am sure that this story does not contain every good tip or procedure which can be done to a race engine. However, none of these things will hurt your engine’s performance and in most cases will really help contribute to its longevity and performance. If you use some or all of these tips as well as some that you have learned on your own, you will have improved your chances of being first to the finish line.