I need some help on where to start first.

first of all I am new to working on this and need all as much help as I can get. I got an 84z with a small block 350. I could not get it to start the first time because my starter was was damaged(it was in running condition b4 the starter problem) so I got that fixed. now I can crank it but it won't turn over. It was sitting on my driveway for about a year since the last time the engine was running. I checked if there was fuel pumping to the carb and it is. my next thing is take apart the carb and rebuild it because there is some green stuff around the floats. I tried checking if there was spark on the cable and there was none.

what should I do next?

please help this newb out

 

If your car is not cranking, then there won't be a spark to check... why? because inside the distributor there is a pickup coil that senses when the engine is turning, it then goes to the ICM, sending the reference to the ECM that you are trying to fire up your car and yada... yada..yada... ... well since you are not getting not even a crank.. what I would recommend is taking your battery to an auto parts store and having them check it out for you... it's possible that your battery burned out and no longer has a charge and nor is capable of holding one... now if the battery checks out fine, then I would then go to attempting to try and crank the engine at the starter, if it cranks remotely, then I would check the ignition switch on the steering column, (separate from the Lock cylinder, where you insert the key) ...

 

you have misread... It cranks but it won't turn over,start,etc.

 

You have your terminology backwards - generally turn over means that the rotating assembly is turning, crank means that it fires.

 

like I said... I a newbie to this stuff and interested and thanks for correcting me... so are you here to help or you just going to correct me and make me look more stupider?

Please educate me... I need your guidance.

or anybody else. I wanna get this thing started without going to the shop and feel good about myself for fixing it.

 

I have a good battery and it holds a charge. I know because I use that battery to start my other car. using the correct terminology this time it turns over when I turn the key and I see the fan turning with it so i am guessing it has something to do with the coil or cap thingy. what if its not that how can i determine its some other electrical issue or whatever?

 

Most would say crank and turn over are the same thing; the engine is spinning on the starter.

Fire is when the engine catches and runs by itself

 

You can put a small amount of petrol in through the carb and see if engine kicks.If it does you have ( some ) spark and your carb is likely problem.

If it doesn't kick then start looking at spark problems
What do the plugs / wires dist cap / dist rotor look like? How old ?
Do you have spark at the plug when cranking ?

 

These here words are the words I would use... ...

 

well there are many ways in which you can then tackle this problem... one being buying a new ignition control module (ICM) generally these are the culprit when there is a no spark problem... it's also recommended that you swap out your Ignition coil as well..so I would check there at the coil for a signal from the ICM to fire, if there isn't a signal, then I would check for a signal from the pickup coil,... not sure though what the order would be, someone else would have to chime in on that one, the ECM plays a role on this, but not sure at what point... so before doing this i would check the cap and rotor for any signs of obvious wear and tear... so if you haven't already swapped these two items, then I would just go ahead and swap them (cap and rotor), they are inexpensive, however it's very likely that they wouldn't be the problem...

 

thanks for the advise I will let you know once I have some time to work on it.