Hi John,
You cannot go wrong running through as many dry assemblies as you need to.
Use the gaskets (dry) and bolt everything up just like you were putting it together for the last time. Smear some clean oil or assembly lube in the bushes to protect mechanical parts.
Then you can check all your clearances, make sure nothing is binding or clunks or rattles.
Make sure you tighten bolts and screws up tight enough while doing dry runs that its just like the "real thing", that way you dont fool yourself on clearance.
When your happy with everything and know the exact steps for putting it together, make sure everything is clean, lube everything up (you cannot over lube), and use your sealants.
Make sure you lube the inside lip of any oil seals you have, you do not want those to run dry even for a second.
while putting it together for real, keep checking your clearances when you can to make sure everything is going well. Do the same thing when its all done.
I think the only really tricky part I found was timing the gears. After you get that figured out these really are not bad.
Lee