Really need help to get my truck running

[jared68']

hey everyone I have a 71/68 c20 with a 350 v8 and a rochester 2barrel carb and a th350 trans off craigslist for a great deal, I've put a bit of money into it and now its installed just cant get it started. I've done research on here and have not found anything that has worked.

what it does right now:
cranks over and pops every now and then like it wants to start.
new fuel pump and I am getting fuel with good pressure to the carb
the carb sprays fuel like it should
I changed the points and it does have spark

I really don't know where to go from here so any help will be greatly appreciated, I kinda need to get the truck running asap.

thanks in advance.

[bigguy69]

Have you made sure that it is timed right? Firing order is right? This where I would start.
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[jared68']

how do you make sure the timing is correct if you cant start the truck? I have only done it with the timing light, and the firing order is correct, i will double check just to be 100% sure.

[pat 70/71]

180 degrees out nuff said. Pat

[Clutch442]

Originally Posted by pat 70/71

180 degrees out nuff said. Pat

+1

[jared68']

Ok so I checked and the I do have the wires in the correct firing order, now I don't know what 180 degrees out means could someone please explain what I need to do for that?
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[CC69Rat]

Trace the wire from your #1 cyl, find where it is on your distrubutor cap.
Your firing order is: 1,8,4,3,6,5,7,2. Clockwise around the cap.
Trace all wires, make sure they follow this sequence.
Take a sharpie or something and make a mark on the lower housing of the distributor base / housing so you can remember where #1 is.
Pull the distributor cap
Pull the # 1 spark plug
Have your buddy place his thumb (or you can get creative here, just don't drop anything into the spark plug hole) Just cover it.
BUMP the engine over and watch your rotor - It will be the arrow / pointer under the dist cap.
As the rotor circles around, just watch it .. When it comes to the #1 mark, are you seeing or feeling compression come out of the spark plug hole?
We want #1 to fire (compression) at, or near the same time the rotor comes around.
At the point #1 hits the TOP of the cylinder = Top Dead Center.
Timing is measured in degrees before TDC. Ex. 16 deg, etc.

Now, where is it firing? Before #1 fires as the rotor comes around? .. or After? If it's firing after #1 has already past you're out of 'time.

What the guys are saying is if the rotor is 180 out, it will be pointing thr wrong way when your #1 cyl fires. You want full spark at the same time that cyl blows out the air and pops your buddys thumb out of the hole.

The rotor should be pointing right at #1 cyl as it comes around. You could draw a straight line to #1.

#1 is on the driver's side. All odd cyl on the driver, even on the pass side.

Front to back:
Ex. Pass side from the radiator back, 2,4,6,8. Driver, 1.3.5.7

If you know this stuff, please forgive me .. just trying to help you out.
Later.
Chad

[jared68']

Thanks for the info chad I will definately try that once I get back to my truck and have help.
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[wilbilt]

As a basis for the "180 out" terminology...the distributor is driven off the back of the camshaft, which rotates at half the RPM of the crank. So, if you line up the timing mark on the balancer to "0" on the timing tab, there is a 50/50 chance you are trying to time the #1 spark to the #6 cylinder. Not gonna work. Hence the "180 degrees out of time" description.

What you want is for the #1 piston to be at the top of the compression stroke as the distributor rotor points to the #1 spark plug wire terminal on the distributor cap. One way is to feel for compression in the #1 plug hole as the engine is rotated to line up the timing mark. If the valve covers are off, you can also visually see when the #1 cylinder valves are both closed when the mark lines up.

If you are rotating the crank up to the mark and the #1 exhaust valve is open, you are coming up on ignition for #6. Not what you want. Turn the crank one more full turn to the mark before stabbing the distributor to point to the #1 terminal.

Hope this makes sense.

[jared68']

Hey everyone thanks for the help, I finally got the chance to adjust the timing right and it fired right up
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[CC69Rat]

Perfect, glad it worked out. Later.
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[fastwillie 696969]

i was going to say set your points gap and dwell and retime it