The use of the priming tool would probably negate the need for the packing of the oil pump with Vaseline or similar. When those packing items were much more common, I suspect that priming the pump with a drill motor and extension rod had not been considered, at that time. Back then, the larger electric drills were pretty much only used in the construction trades that needed them. Any extended oil pump drive shafts would have been in the "fabricated" domain of the higher-end engine builders, I suspect.
In the case of the small block Chevy motors, a large/long flat-blade screwdriver, with the handle chopped off and an "interface" welded on so it could be turned by a drill motor, for example. Coming by one with the needed hex for a Chrysler engine would have been "different". A "speed handle" wrench could have possibly substituted for the drill motor.
When looking at many of these things, whether lubricants or how things were done (and with what), you have to remember what the average shop had in it at that time in history. Which was FAR less-well-equipped than many car hobby shops have now. When Vaseline was a common medicine cabinet item, but LubriPlate was a higher-end white lube found in few places.
Back in the '80s, we had a trans tech who had us get the economy size Vaseline jars for him. He used it to pack the front pumps on the automatic transmissions he built. Later, we found a specific "red jelly" Kent-Moore "Transmission Assembly Lube" that we got, which made it more professional, it seemed. KEY thing was to have "instant lubrication" when the assemblies were first used after the rebuild.
Enjoy!
CBODY67