Won't start....need help ASAP!

[Ackattack]

Ok guys, I need some help and you are all the most knowledgable people I know when it comes to old school chevy engines

So I'm going on a camping trip tomorrow in my motorhome.

Its an 84 454 with a turbo 400. Its got a quadrajet carb on it.

Basically when I hit the start switch sometimes it will crank over, some times it won't. I put a new battery in it, new high torque mini starter, new remote solenoid,and new cables. So everything from the battery to the starter is new. So as long as the starter solenoid gets the switched input it should turn over. Well it doesn't all the time.

So like I said, its an 84, so of course it has miles of vacum hoses. Tonight I popped off the entire air cleaner assembly so that just the carb was there. I tried starting it, and it turned over like it was nothing! Of course it didn't start. I messed around with this hose and that and the carb linkage and finally it fired up. I turned the distributor to advance the timing a little so it would run smoothly and it was fine. I tried starting it up a few more times and it did it fine.

I let it run for a while and then drove a few feet to its parking spot, now it won't turn over again!

I'm thinking it has something to do with the carb, but it seems awfully wierd that the carb could stop the stupid thing from even turning over. But the only carbs I've really messed with is Edelbrocks. I mean I could understand having problems if it was a 13:0:1 454, but this "bad boy" is probably about 8:1.

So like I said I need some suggestions on things to look for or check before I go on vacation.

Thanks
Derek