first off, let me say, my car is incredibly reliable, i dont normally have electrical gremlins, but this transpired after i installed my T56.

Engine:
1975 Gen 1 SBC (carbed), with HEI distributor, no ignition goodies, just a super accel coil.

T56 installed, all wiring removed from old 700R4, and old Gen1 SBC starter swapped out, in favor of a new 1995 Lt1 starter. The wiring from the old starter was as follows. There were a bunch of wires going to the positive FAT terminal, and a purple wire going to the skinny one on the OLD starter. I simply swapped over FAT to FAT, and skinny to skinny. Car cranks fine, all my accessories, and gauges come on as per normal. The new T56 wiring isnt yet hooked up. Ive attached the neutral safety switch stuff, BACK onto the auto shifter, so the car THINKS its in park, and lets me start.

However, the car wont start. Im getting fuel, im getting compression, so the culprit is the spark.

I BELEIVE, it is my ignition wire. (the little red one, next to the negative on the coil). I thought i broke my coil, because when i was lowering the engine the distributor cap had hit the firewall at some point, so i thought maybe it broke. However, if i disconnect the red wire from the coil, and run a live wire from the battery positive terminal, to the tang on the coil, the car will fire up and run (and keep running, even when the key is turned off).

If i touch the same live wire, to the red ignition wire, i get the "bell", the one that rings when your key is in the car, and the door is open.

I should mention, when everything is hooked up normally (no hot wires), the accessories and gauges all come on as per normal, the car turns over, the works, i just have no spark.

Any ideas? Im going to run a test light from the ign wire this weekend with the ignition on, and see if i have power. Do i need a certain voltage there?

 

you should have 12 volts at the ignition wire going into the steering colum while trying to turn the engine over.....im having the same problem with my 89 iroc

 

12 volts at the ignition wire WHILE cranking? That doesnt make sense, the ignition is on when the key is on, otherwise the car would only run when you crank, and shut off when the engine stops cranking. I can turn the car over with the key as per normal, but im missing a spark.

But that part aside, i will check if i have 12 volts there regardless. Are you saying that the red wire at the coil, turns into a white wire at the column?