Dikinson Newport heater

[IdoraKeeper]

I am entering the last lap of my winter refit. The next thing is the Newport heater. I bought the boat last fall and have never used the heater. It's dirty and a tad rusty. The plan is to pull it out,remove the baffles on the outside and clean and repaint with high temp wood stove paint. I have already reconditioned the 3 micron Racor for it and installed a new 3psi Walbro pump. There is about a 3 ft (or less) dead rise on the fuel line going to the heater. Has anyone tried this and had problems? The pump cannot be co-located with heater (no room). There is also no baro-vent on the stack. Do I really need one? Any tips on what to look for when I have it apart that may indicate the need for parts/repairs? Lastly is there any benifit to using kerosene to pre-heat the burner before turning on the diesel flow as opposed to starting the flame using diesel only?

Cheers,

Todd