71 Duster 318 fuel pump not pulling fuel from new gas tank

Ken71Twister said

I just installed a new gas tank and in-line fuel filter. I re-installed my old sending unit because it tested good (and new one didn’t). I cleaned the carb and installed a new (transparent) gas filter. I‘m starting off with no fuel in lines, filter, or fuel pump because I let the engine run dry after I’d emptied the gas tank.

I added 5 gallons of gas to the tank and cranked the engine several times. There’s no fuel coming into the filter. The filter walls are clear and just ahead of the fuel pump - so I can see that the filter is empty.

I blew thru the air vent to make sure I hadn’t reversed the hoses coming out of the tank. Seemed OK.

Any suggestions? I don’t think the pump needs to be primed. What are the odds that the pump (original mechanical type) went bad for the 7 days that it was empty?.

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It takes a bit for the pump to draw all the air out of the lines, give it a chance- it'll take more than just "cranking it several times". After all, it's a fuel pump, not an air pump.
Prime the carburetor; squirt fuel down the bowl vent tubes until the bowls are full. Then fire the engine up. You should have fuel in your filter before the carb runs dry.
Alternatively, if you still suspect a faulty fuel pump, disconnect the fuel pump from the supply line and connect a length of fuel hose to the pump. Put the other end of the hose into a full gas can, fire the engine up. If it's drawing fuel from the can alright, then your issue is in the lines or the tank. Make sure you didn't kink any metal lines when you pulled the tank, make sure any rubber hoses did not get bent into too tight of a curve so that it is pinched closed and is restricting or blocking flow.