small block oil priming question

We're assuming this is a fresh rebuild, so, the gear should come right out with little resistance. To remove it with the intake one, I've used a wooden dowel whittled down on the gear end to drive in and fit tight in the slot. This works especially well on high mileage engines where the shaft on the gear gets really gummed up. Working the gear up and down with a good spray of WD40 helps get things free again. If your engine's not a fresh rebuild, priming probably isn't necessary unless it's been sitting for many years.