So my son and I are putting back together a complete car. When purchased in September 24 it was nothing but a empty shell on a frame. The previous owner had the engine and transmission rebuilt and lots and lots of parts. The car is a base 1969 convertible automatic numbers matching with great bones. We started the process cleaning, painting, wiring and plumbing everything. When the pervious owner and buddies (bubba) took apart the car they used wire cutters on everything and lost a bunch of parts. By the way when a seller says everything is there, It's not. I have a ton of welding to do on the windshield frame, I'm going to wait till it's a little warmer. Hopefully soon.

We are real close to firing the engine and letting it break in. With new power steering pump and system installed including the ram and a transmission that was stored empty along with a new fuel system. How does one keep an eye on the timing, tranny fluid level, power steering level, coolant, oil pressure and temperature upon the first start. I have never encountered so many systems being empty before. The tranny I filled the convertor, and filled the pan, power steering system is all new I can only fill the reservoir and wait till the pump turns to to purge the air and refill. Coolant is no problem as is fuel and oil. All while adjusting the timing.

I'm a little overwhelmed by what needs to happen when I start this thing. All the systems need checking and filling. I want to run it for at least 20 min to break in the cam. Any advise would be greatly appreciated,

 

When I first start an engine I always get lots of helpers/watchers to assist me in the project. This is more than one or two guys can handle if there are any issues while starting the engine. It is better to be safe and have help!

Get a larger fire extinguisher and put it close but not in the way.
Attach the timing light and have it "ready for action". Loosen the distributor hold-down bolt and make it snug so you can barely move the distributor to the proper setting. After timing is set I tighten the hold-down bolt. Be careful if you have an HEI distributor and grabbing it from above. This can be dangerous and you could get the **** knocked out of you. I cover the distributor with a towel and then wearing a glove I can touch the top of distributor without getting shocked. Those HEI units pack a punch so exercise caution around them
Fill the carburetors float bowls (front and back) to allow the engine run normally while you are setting the timing. I like to use a clear filter so I know the gasoline has made it to the carburetor.
Get any tool that you might need ahead of time ready for action. Gloves might be good in case the parts get warm. Lots of paper towels or cleanup rags handy to catch any loose spills.

Using an electric Corded Drill attached to a pre-lube tool that spins the oil pump while you watch for the oil come out of the rocker arms. Battery power drills are not made for long, continuous runs like a corded drill can. I want consistent speed and a battery power drill can't handle the load for as well as a corded unit can.
As soon as the engine "lights" raise the engine speed slowly and then adjust the carburetor speed screw to have it idle where you want for the first 15-20 minutes. This beats holding it for 20 minutes over a warm engine. One time I used a tie wrap to hold the throttle open for me. Whatever works for you.
Dedicate one helper to watching for ANY kind of leaks from the engine but specifically gasoline leaks so you don't have any extra excitement during the startup.
Be sure to have the non-detergent oil in the engine during break in along with a bottle of ZINC to add just in case. The engine and specifically the Camshaft both need lubrication for running and the cam needs to be broken in properly while being oiled.
If you need to adjust the rocker arms then it is easier if you have an old set of valve covers and cut the center out of them. This allows the engine to run and keep 75% of the oil in the engine. I ran my engine for a few hours and then changed the oil.
A magnetic drain plug for the oil pan will help you identify any metal particles inside the engine's oil. I also use a powerful magnet that attaches to my oil filter case, it is removed after the oil change and I cut them open to look for anything that doesn't belong there.

From my experience the 20 minutes goes by very quickly and then you can drive the car slowly and gently until the engine breaks in. After the engine has been running a while if you want to be sure that everything is okay send an oil sample to a lab and have them generate a report for you. I spent a lot of money on my 427 and I wanted proof that it was wearing properly internally so I had 2-3 samples tested at the place that did my old Cessna's oil sampling and testing.

Most of this is probably stuff you already know and practice. I went through many of the steps, but not all of them. My engine builder brought a infra-red thermometer to ensure that all eight cylinders were working okay along with several other tools. I hope that in this post you might find something that you had not thought of before, I rebuilt VW engines while in college and afterwards so I have started a lot of newly rebuilt engines.

One important point, do not break in your engine with any Ceramic Coated headers. A freshly rebuilt engine runs hotter than a normal engine because of all the internal friction and this extra heat can damage the coatings used on headers. On my 427 I have several inches of burned off ceramic coating up near the cylinder head.

I commend you for taking the time to share your knowledge with your Son. That is a wonderful thing to do for the next generation.

 

Make a written check list. It's easy to forget a step in all the excitement.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write such a well thought out reply. I appreciate everyone’s help.