SBC question

[hitman]

I am building a T-bucket with a passe' SBC ( tounge in cheek ) and I was trying to get it running last night. The problem is it would kick but not do anything moe than stutter and die. My set up is: SBC w/ HEI distirbutor, cam, Victor racer JR intake, 4" carb spacer from Speedway, Holley 670 double pumper. I am runing bone stock wires, and plugs, and ignition module. My buddy tells me to ditch the speedway 4" spacer and all should be well or go to a smaller 600cfm carb. I like the look of the spacer as it raises up the air cleaner just above the cowl. One thing I was thinking of doing is adding hotter plugs and iginition module. Anway, you guys think the carb spacer is the reason for it not running? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Daman]

The spacer isn't a problem with starting.

Is this a new engine? The valves too tight? Timing off? Plugs wet? Check for spark?

 

[liljgoneman]

mines runnin a 4-holer 1 inch spacer and seems to like it with an edelbrock 600 cfm. it sounds to me like its not air/fuel related. its back to basics time it sounds like. got air? got fuel? got spark? my guess would say its a spark issue and 1st thing that springs to mind is the distributor. you're not 180 degrees off are you?
personally, i HATE the HEI dizzy. its big and ugly and well, it just looks awful on an open motored car. my SBC came with 1 and the 1st thing i did was yank it and go caveman points.

 

[King Herald]

A SBC will start with half dead plugs and ten year old gas. The type of carb, spacer etc shouldn't make any different to starting up.

There is something more to it if it won't even fire up. You have checked for fat sparks? The HEI requires a bigger plug gap than normal ignitions, but it is not an engine stopping thing.

Ignition wires double and triple checked to the right cylinders? Ask me how I know about that one....

Dizzy not a whole turn out?

Definitely got compression in some/all cylinders?

 

[hitman]

personally, i HATE the HEI dizzy. its big and ugly and well, it just looks awful on an open motored car. my SBC came with 1 and the 1st thing i did was yank it and go caveman points.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Everything automotive is a bit of a compromise in some way or another. I hate how it looks as well...but once I get it dialed in I dont have to worry about my wife calling me to tell the car is DOA in some parking lot somewhere. I very well may go to a dual points Mallory which is laying about....

To Clarifiy: It kicks over rumbels once or twice and is done. I was thinking about the 180 out with back fire thru the carb...I may have to go back and double check my work. My friend told me to buy a new ignition module; which I did, but I dont think thats it either. If it was, I am pretty sure it would be dead with no spark what so ever. Lemme see if I can post up a picture here of the engine when i get home. Maybe too much shine for this forum.

 

[busch]

Pull the distirbutor out get it back to TDC
Put it back in
Check plug wires
U just never know

 

[rainman]

HEI may be ugly but it delivers much better spark than points!!

Sounds like timing, when you bring it up to TDC make sure its on the compression stroke, then check the dist.

 

[sneakysnake]

18436572,clockwise. You getting fuel?You see gas squirt when to pump the throttle? Pull #1 plug bring it up on compression and check rotor button is pointing to #1 on the dist cap.The power wire going to the HEI is is getting full 12+volts and not running through a resister?

 

[donsrods]

This may not be your problem, but a VERY common problem with Chevy engines is that the starter has 3 wires.........one fat battery cable in the middle large post, on the skinny post to the right of that the wire that goes to the "start" post on the ignition switch connects on that one (so that when you turn the key to "start" it feeds juice to the starter to crank it) The final post on the starter is a skinny one to the left of the fat one and a wire has to run from there to the + terminal on the ignition coil.

If you do not have that wire in place the car will crank and not get juice to start the engine. Sometimes when you release the key to the "run" position it will sound like it is going to fire, but won't.

Not sure if that is what you have going on, but make sure you have current to the coil when you are cranking the engine. A simple test light connected from the + terminal of the coil to ground will do it. Just see if it lights when you are cranking.

Don

 

[RPM]

I am building a T-bucket with a passe' SBC ( tounge in cheek ) and I was trying to get it running last night. The problem is it would kick but not do anything moe than stutter and die. My set up is: SBC w/ HEI distirbutor, cam, Victor racer JR intake, 4" carb spacer from Speedway, Holley 670 double pumper. I am runing bone stock wires, and plugs, and ignition module. My buddy tells me to ditch the speedway 4" spacer and all should be well or go to a smaller 600cfm carb. I like the look of the spacer as it raises up the air cleaner just above the cowl. One thing I was thinking of doing is adding hotter plugs and iginition module. Anway, you guys think the carb spacer is the reason for it not running? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You have to have several basic things to make any engine run. Compression, fuel and spark. It has to be timed.

You never really said if this was a new engine that has never run.

Check the compression. This will tell you if the cam to crank timing is correct and if the valves are adjusted right.

Fuel, with the engine off. Look down the carb and work the throttle lever there should be some gas squirt out and go down the carb. If it has a choke hold it open so you can look down in there. DO NOT CRANK THE ENGINE WHILE LOOKING IN THERE!

If you had to install the dist, it has to be timed correctly. Do you know the firing order and which one is number one cylinder?

And please let us know what it took to get your T Bucket running.