Not pumping??

I do have a pulley puller but I don't have a socket big enough to take out the center bolt in the crank puller so I'm stuck on that right now. I also found a bunch of junk when I pulled the water pump (see this thread http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=274463 ) so I gotta deal with that too. Should I concentrate on getting it running or flush it b4 I take the timing cover off?