Before I tried to start the engine, there are a few things I wanted to check. I pulled all the spark plugs out, they looked dark and a little oily, but not terrible.
While the plugs were out, I turned the crank pulley by hand to verify that everything turned freely. The oil on the dipstick looked good enough, with no signs of water. Then I finished the heavy wiring to the starter, and cranked the engine over to make sure everything sounded OK. That went well.
I also hooked an ohmmeter up to the oil pressure sender to make sure there was decent pressure.
