Thanks for fielding my noob questions, Captain
I went and bought a flywheel and clutch kit from O'Reilley auto parts down the street today. They had everything in stock ready to roll. I ended up with a 12" clutch, and I brought my flex plate from the 350 in to double check that the bolt patterns would line up.
I did an engine degrease treatment to the 350 today on the stand in my garage. It was messy, but I think it will be helpful in the long run.
I also tried to do a compression test on the engine. I pulled all the plugs, hooked my tester up, and turned the motor clockwise using the bolt on the main pulley (harmonic balancer ?). I couldn't get a single reading on any of the 8 cylinders. Anyone have a similar experience? I am told that the engine hasn't run in 6 months when the truck it came out of was pulled into the yard and parked. (I know, I know...)
Am I hosed? Do I need to pull the heads, or am I doing something wrong?