Help with starting 79 k20 400SBC

[cduneman]

I've got a 1979 k20 pickup with a 400 small block in it, and a brand new edelbrock carb. I just recently rebuilt the engine, and everything was doing pretty good with the old quadrajet that I suspect had jetting issues, it was bogging if i pushed the gas over half way, it randomly sputtered out and died like it wasn't getting any gas. Never started after that, so i threw my new carb on. Edelbrock AVS2 with 650CFM. I know both the old and the new carb is getting gas, and it has spark, and the timing should be close enough to do something. Right now it will just crank forever with no indication of starting. I have the distributor installed at TDC at around the 0* mark on my timing cover. I believe everything is hooked up correctly also.

 

[ali_c20]

Welcome from Austria. Is it tdc or could it be that timing is 180° off? Add some advance, around 8-12. Choke is set up right? Idle mixture screws have a base setting? Spark plug cables are in the right order?
Check everything and if all is right try to start again.

 

[Ricko1966]

Check for spark and check the condition of the spark plugs.

 

[Vbb199]

and it has spark,

What color is the spark ?

 

[Ricko1966]

You can have no carbureator on a sbc,as long as it has fuel,spark,and compression it will start,as long as the distributor is half a$$ close to being in time. Back before I knew what I was doing if we stabbed a distributor on a fresh engine we'd dump a little fuel down the throat of the carb,one guy would crank one guy would twist the distributor a little bit in each direction,it would light off. We twist it until it had best rpm,break in the cam. Change the oil restart,time it on the road,no ping and seat of pants. Check your plugs and check compression.

 

[cduneman]

Welcome from Austria. Is it tdc or could it be that timing is 180° off? Add some advance, around 8-12. Choke is set up right? Idle mixture screws have a base setting? Spark plug cables are in the right order?
Check everything and if all is right try to start again.

Thank you, i have tried flipping the distributor 180 and it just backfires like crazy so I don't think that is correct, and I put the idle screws to base settings, have retarded and advanced the distributor a bunch both ways and nothing... Spark plugs are brand new also

 

[cduneman]

What color is the spark ?

Blue

 

[ali_c20]

Check for vacuum leak. Is the distributor new or the old one? I had a bad module that produced a weak spark and the same with a bad coil. Try to start with starter fluid or brake cleaner, if it doesn't start with that stuff you can rule out the carb of being the troublemaker.

 

[Ricko1966]

Everybody,quit using brake cleaner,looking for intake leaks and as starting fluid,mounting tires etc. Burning brake cleaner creates phosgene gas. ( oh a little won't hurt anybody) yea,how much will? Why take a chance?

 

[Ricko1966]

Thank you, i have tried flipping the distributor 180 and it just backfires like crazy so I don't think that is correct, and I put the idle screws to base settings, have retarded and advanced the distributor a bunch both ways and nothing... Spark plugs are brand new also

Brand new as in installed after the problem or installed before the problem?

 

[ali_c20]

Everybody,quit using brake cleaner,looking for intake leaks and as starting fluid,mounting tires etc. Burning brake cleaner creates phosgene gas. ( oh a little won't hurt anybody) yea,how much will? Why take a chance?

Damn but it works so good...it's like a chemical swiss army knife . Ok, I'll use it for cleaning only in the future as phosphine gas really sucks.

 

[75gmck25]

I’m a little confused about where you are at in your installation.

You said it ran with the Quadrajet, but not very well, so you installed the Edelbrock. Then you later said on you stabbed the distributor with it set at about 0 degrees.

Did it start and run with the Quadrajet, and then you only swapped the Edelbrock? Is the distributor exactly as it was when it ran with the Quadrajet? Or have you never gotten it started after the rebuild?