Dropped oil pan, do I need to prime the pump?

I just changed the oil pan gasket on my friend's '93 C1500 with a 305. Do I need to do anything to prime the oil pump, or will it pick up on its own?

It will pick it up on its own. It might take it an extra second or two, but the main things is that there is oil in the bearings unlike a newly built engine.

What you did was no more impact than changing the oil.

Thanks. That's what his dad told me, but he doesn't always know what he's talking about... We pulled about two cups of sludge out of the valve covers and the original PCV was plugged solid. Am I correct in assuming that the PCV being plugged up is what blew the gaskets?

That would be the most logical assumption.