So I have a 1970 Cutlass (to be specific, the block is '70 and the heads are '72 7A's) 350 4bbl. I rebuilt the engine with pretty much all new parts except for the valve train. This is my first time doing a rebuild so I'm learning as I go. The car turns over, sounds like it wants to start but won't start up. I set piston 1 to TDC, I get a lot of backfire and coughing depending on where I have the rotor pointing (I've tried pointing it in different directions trying to find the right spot to start it up). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

Double check your firing order and determine if the distributor is 180* out.

 

Might be a good idea also to list exactly everything you did on the rebuild. Timing is a common culprit but other things may have changed if heads were planed or block decked. Remember Dist turns counter clockwise also.