Fresh Rebuild; not starting
Thats good to know. I didn't put a new cam in. I did notice as soon as it fired that the timing was spot on and the only hang up I have right now is what that banging noise might have been. It came from the passenger side rear of the motor and it sounded like it was underneathe it. Hard to describe but it was a cross between something hitting the bottom of the valve cover or a major exhaust leak at the manifold... neither of those are/were evident. Its gone now so who knows.
Tonight I'm going to pull the valve covers and make sure the top end is getting oil and then fix my thermostat issue. Thanks!