Ok. So i just picked up someone elses project. They had an air sensors fuel injection setup on a 383 stroker. I pulled that off and slapped on a used but rebuild holly 750dp. It still wouldnt run . I dropped in a new distributor from skip white and now I can get an Idle but it stalls with any gas. Do you guys thing I still have an ignition problem or its with the fuel. By the way I have all new wires and a carter 4600hp fuel pump.
Thanks guys

 

whats the timing set at? whats your fuel pressure at the carb?

 

Yeah, always start with ignition. A carb going bad to the point it won't run is pretty rare.

Disconnect and plug the vacuum advance line. Set the ignition timing around 12* (BTDC) as a baseline as soon as it will hold a curb idle (usually you have to get the engine warmed up a little before it will hold a stable idle with a carb). If it idles reasonably well, plug the vacuum advance back in. THEN go set the idle speed and idle mixture screws until you have an optimal idle. After that, try giving it a rev or two. If it seems OK, take it for a little drive around the neighborhood and see how it acts under load.

 

Havent worked on the engine for a while but I found the first problem of many Im sure. The brand new distributer I bought is bad. I replaced it with a know good hei and I can at least time the engine. I obviously cant tune the carb until i get that fixed so Im waiting to get the distributer swapped for a new one. I will keep you updated

 

Ok, so I have been busy with some other things but I have gotten a chance to work on the car a bit this past week. So my ignition timing is so far advanced its 2in from the timing marks. I have no idea what the actual number is. If I try to retard the timing back the engine dies. It runs like crap( really really bad where its timed but at least its running). I only have 2-5 in of vacuum when running. I pulled the timing cover to find a gear drive and the cam seems to be in sync with the crank. ( I dont know what bushing is in the cam gear). Im running out of Ideas right now. Im ready to pull the entire top end and replace it so I know Im working with good parts. Also, I know next to nothing about whats in this engine. Like what cam, actual displacment etc. Let me know what you guys think. Sry for being long winded. Thanks for reading

 

12 degrees might be a little much,especially if he has to use that awful "corn gas" of 87 octane. id go 8 degrees tops .he might go up to 10 degrees but only if he uses premium to keep spark knock down to a minimum

 

12 degrees initial advance with a stock-type advance curve should be a piece of cake, even with regular unleaded pump gas unless CR is over 10:1.

 

If the timing mark on the balancer is WAY off the top end of the timing tab you likely have the classic mismatch of a 12:00 position balancer and a 1:30 position timing tab. The motor has obviously been monkeyed with (gear drive) so the possibility of this being the case is very high.

You're going to have to get a 1:30 position balancer to work with the timing tab eventually. BUT IN THE MEANTIME you can eyeball it a lot closer than you have it now. With a 12:00 position balancer the 0* (TDC mark) is stright up at TDC. A little to the left (CCW) from straight up is advanced. Shoot the balancer with your timing gun by looking straight down behind the water pump. A little to the left of dead-straight-up is what you want when setting the initial timing (at curb idle, no vacuum advance). If I'm right about the "mismatch" this should get you a lot closer to being in the ballpark than you are now.

Give that a shot and report back before you make ANY other changes.