Neutral safety switch or starter?

[1970stringbean]

Okay so I overhauled my engine over the winter. Had everything hooked up and ready to adjust the valves today and ran into a problem. I got the engine to fire and idle while we started to adjust the valves when the engine quit. Went back to start it up again and nothing. Let it sit for 30 mins and it cranked a couple times then nothing again. So I’m just trying to figure out what is wrong. Could it be the neutral safety switch or some components in the steering column. Or something to do with the starter? Any help would be great!

[jocko]

Since it started just fine once, I doubt it's the starter "all of a sudden" if you're getting absolute zero response to turning the key now (i.e. to dmjlambert's question - I have the same question, but will assume you mean no spinning, whining, grinding or Anything happens when you turn the key). Sounds more like an electrical issue to me.

I'll just throw this out here, not to insult your intelligence, rather to highlight my lack thereof - because I've done this... Replaced an engine, and racked my brains for days trying to figure out why it wouldn't start only to realize that I had put it in neutral to center it under the home-made chain-fall hoist I'd rigged up. I felt like a moron. Anyway, to my credit (I need some at this point), it did fire right up in Park

Anyway, I'll assume this isn't your mistake because you're already talking about the possibility of a neutral safety switch problem (I hadn't even considered it, then again, I think I was in my early 20's at the time, and in a "big rush"!) But it's worth checking to make sure it hasn't slipped even slightly out of park... I could've saved a lot of time if I'd only done that. Wiggle the shift lever while attempting to crank is also not a bad idea to at least eliminate the possible causes.

Ok, true confession session is now over
Assuming you're in Park, yes, could be a faulty neutral safety switch, but, like the starter theory, odd that it would work, then not work all of a sudden. That's the only reason I mention triple checking it's not slightly out of Park somehow.

EDIT: Btw, welcome to the site! Not recently, but have spent lots of time in Kentucky, just up the road from you "a piece".. (Morehead, Hillsboro, Flemingsburg area). Lots of family there.

[geezer#99]

Overhauled it.
Did you put in new cam and lifters?
If so then it’s a good thing it didn’t run long.
You need to do a proper cam break in.

[Redneck Rydes]

Just what Geezer said, Do not let it idle,you won't have a cam left to adjust valves on,always adjust valves before start up,do some research before you fire it up,!!!����

[1970stringbean]

Yes I installed new cam and lifters. I adjusted the valves when I had the motor on the stand. But then a local mechanic told me that they made need to be tweaked once the engine was running and the lifters were pumped all the way up. I’m in my early 20’s this was my first rebuild. So lots of learning curves along the way. Although I don’t know if this matters but my shifter has a pretty good amount of slop when its in park. I have to hold the shifter all the up in park position to make contact.

[geezer#99]

Sure you might need to adjust them later. After a proper break in and some run time.
How long did you let it idle when you first started it?
After it quit and wouldn’t start did it just crank over and over and not try to start?
When it was idling did you adjust any valves?

You might get lucky and not need to start over.

[1970stringbean]

I think I figured the problem out. I installed an aftermarket tach running to my HEI distributor. I believe the tach is causing the coil in the cap to overheat. Thats just an idea because I just installed the tach and I have never had this problem before. Does that make sense?