Do I NEED to prime it?

My dart had sat for nearly 20 years when I got it. I pulled the plugs and cranked it over for about a minute and to prime the oil. That engine ran great for several years and thousands of miles. But, I had plans to replace it anyway so I didn't care much if it hurt it.

I think that pulling the plugs and not allowing it to build compression will give it the best chance to prime without hurting anything.