It will be up to Michel but I would like to see some oil placed in the cylinders,  spin the engine up to get oil pressure and be verified to be free before trying to start the engine to reduce the chance of damage from a dry start.  I think that rolling the engine over by hand  as Bill suggested is a good idea and should indicate if there is a problem.

  Your right, it does not take much to remove a valve cover.  

  How long have you owned Popeye?

Best,

James