Progress continues this week. With a moderate amount of bending the powerglide cooler lines fit okay.
My son came over to help out the old man with starting the engine. When we did, it lit up instantly. I barely even heard the starter. Went right up to 3000 RPM. I got it to slow down some as we checked for leaks and checked the trans fluid. The only leak was where the cooler lines enter the transmission. I presume I didn't tighten something there enough, or maybe I didn't get the cooler lines lined up perfectly enough, but I don't expect to have a lot of trouble correcting that. And I put it in gear and the car moved under its own power.
After doing some research via google on the effects of different engine colors on cooling, I found out there's virtually no difference. So I couldn't resist painting the primary engine red (Chevy Orange). The number pad at the front of the block is still black, and it'll still be Johnny Black.
I should be starting up the primary engine late Sunday afternoon or an evening early next week. I have to spend some time working tomorrow and this weekend due to a big change-over in a key system, so that'll limit how much I get done on those days.