Just built up my new motor, dropped it in, hooked it all up, oil water all that. Go to start it and pop, nothing? So look around, after all of the work, rebuilt myself, I forget to hook up the neg wire from the battery to the block( big wire, not the smaller frame wire) Ok so I connect that, go get a new solenoid put it in because that got fried.
Now is the part i'm questioning, after that pop the key would not turn to lock position and come out. It will still turn to turn the car over, it will turn it off just not off/lock( all the way counter clockwise). And the steering lock isnt clicking on.
So the car still won't start!! still , timing is set up correctly, cam is in correctly, I have great compression in the cylinders, I have gas flowing, Carb was on the car before the rebuild and was great. Distributor is in correctly rotor points toward #1, Motor Turns over just won't fire. I checked the spark to the wires and it's there. I hooked up a volt meter to the purple bat wire to the distributor and had 12v in the on position, and 10 in the start position.Is that off? Is there something in that ignition switch that is keeping the car from starting, not enough juice at start or can that not be my problem? car wants to fire a bit but just pops/coughs then just cranks. Lets hear from the electric experts!!! Thanks

 

Try advancing the distributor by turning it while cranking.

 

Couple of things! If you have points, make sure they are gapped from .016 - .019 that will get your dwell close. Run a jumper wire from your battery to the coil. (note when it does start, in order to turn it off this wire must be removed) This wire will take all the other variables out of the equation.

If its sputtering and or backfiring thru the carb while you try to start it, your dist may be 180 out. So you can pull it turn the rotor 180 degrees and reinstall. All the engine needs to fire is, air, fuel and spark at the right moment.

 

If your ignition switch won't return to LOCK, does the gearshift lever move normally?

Trying to run all the starter current without a proper ground will divert some through the transmission case and the gearshift linkage, and may have cooked some part of the linkage, preventing the shifter from dully engaging PARK.

As for the rest of it, if you've got spark and fuel, then the next thing to go after is timing.
Check it with a timing light, and if it's way off, you've got wires hooked up wrong, the distributor timed wrong, or the distributor out 180°.

- Eric