Help - new engine, starter died?

[ozymandias]

Hi all,

I am in the process of putting a new motor in the suburban and finally got everything installed / wired / bolted in. I started cranking it over and got 10-15 almost catches (over 3 attempts with tuning in between), then nothing. It feels like the battery is disconnected, nothing happens, but everything is connected and getting voltage. But no lights come on and nothing happens when I turn the key. Is there anything that I'm missing? I don't think it's the starter, it was cranking strongly. Any electrical fuses / wires that would make it feel like a dead battery?

Thanks for all advice / guesses!