ok, so i've got an engine thats been sitting for about 6 months after i replaced the crank and bearings because of spun bearings. finally got the motor in the car and all wired up, can get it to start, gas wants to spray out the top of the carb, had set it to tdc on the #1 by bumping it over with starter till a rag popped out of spark plug hole, to get it close enough to start, and set with light. anyways, after playing with timing, and spining the distributor 180 around still won't start. so i pulled #1 plug again and the valve cover to get tdc correct, but it seems that the piston is going up the whole time the intake valve is open, and down the whole time the exhaust valve is open. i'm not sure how i would have accomplished that, when i put the new crank in and put the timing chain on i set the marks to crank dot=12 o clock cam dot=6 o clock.
and the valves on drivers side are EIIEEIIE correct?
any help would be much appreciated

 

Which direction are you turning the crank?

 

standing infront of the car was turning it counter-clockwise, forgot to say that, i searched for an answer to which direction it needed to go earlier and that was what i found

 

Counter-clockwise is backwards.

 

You didn't put the firing order on the distributor cap counter clockwise as well?
Both the motor and distributor turn clockwise.
I'm sure of that, but I'm not there with you so have someone crank the engine so you can see which way it turns.
The way you found the compression stroke is just as good as any other, however, turning it counter clockwise put it at TDC on the exhaust stroke unless the rag popped out after it passed TDC then counter clockwise would have put it where it needed to be.
Let us know when it's firing on all 8 cylinders.

 

ah ok, no i had the firing order correct on the dizzy
will mess with it more tomorrow, though now i'm wondering again why it was spraying gas out the carb? just timing too far off?

 

The ignition timing is not the issue. Your valve timing is way off. You will need to remove the timing chain and get it right

 

its been awhile since i had it apart, but i remember putting the dots basically touching, i couldn't have put the sprockets on incorrectly could i? if so what is the correct way of installing them?
also, just to be clear, you did read that i was rotating the engine backwards, and not base the valve timing being off just off of the first post?
will be working on it in the morning

 

No

 

If you were this close, you did it right.

 

I apologize, I read over the thread too quickly, and was basing my thoughts on which valve you said was open with the piston going up and that the carb was spitting back gas when you tried to start it. But I guess turning the engine backwards would make it look like the piston was going the wrong way in relation to the valves, so hopefully turning it the right way while watching the valves will verify that it is correct. Keep checking things, I'm sure you'll sort it out

 

Having the ignition timing off will cause gas spitting out of the carb.