Quadrajet setup?

[allflatblack]

Hey guys,
My ’69 has an ’83 350 in it that has never run very well and I took my time to get to looking at it. This weekend I finally decided to tune it up after checking the ignition timing and finding out that the vacuum advance had gone bad. I replaced all of the ignition components and timed it at 4 degrees with the advance plugged. Ran much better, but not great, terrible random idle. The engine was equipped with a Carter AFB spread bore carb on a riser and as I began to try to tune it out, I noticed that the pilots really did nothing. Looking inside the carb while running revealed gas just pouring out of one side of the carb into the right side primary. This carb needed a rebuild. A few weeks before, a friend had been at a swap meet and seen a rebuilt quadrajet for the same year engine for cheap. He picked it up for me, new in box. This was easier than rebuilding the ratty old carter and I had it and a new gasket on the shelf.
The truck would always start right up with the carter, and ran but poorly. I installed the very nice looking quadrajet, hooked up the large base port to the PCV and a smaller port to the ignition advance and capped off all of the others, including the rear brake booster. I shot some gas down the throat and went to start it. Nothing. Even after multiple cranking episodes, nothing. Not even a pop. As if I somehow disconnected the ignition. I immediately ordered a Q-jet tuning book from Amazon, but am surprised that nothing at all happened when cranking, even at WOT, closed throttle.
Is there any initial setup procedure that anyone can see would not even let the engine even think of starting? Screwdriver in chokeflap, accelerator pumps shooting plenty of fuel. Maybe I flooded it. But I cranked until it was uncomfortable.
Thanks for any advice. I will double check that a freak ignition failure has not occurred tonight.