Technical God help me im sooo lost

I have a 75 chevy 350 i have rebuilt. Had black dipped compleatly cleaned have pistond abd crank with matching bearings. Assembled and it spun ofer fairly well. Put in plugs and it got tight. Take 126 foot pounds to crank it. Oem started fried trying to start it. Just installed a summit mini starter for engines up to 18 to 1 comp. Gap set on ring gear. Try to start and it turns over real slow. Real hard. I tried oil in the cylinders no change. Start flid no help. Spins to slow to get a start. Have large 1/0 cables. So not amp draw prob. I dont get it ive been at this for 2.5 months. Do i need to tear it back out if car and redo it why wont it turn over. All the people i know that know about old school engines are dead now. I need this to get my family around. Winter is coming and im so lost please someone HELP ME .if u can u can call me at 920 515 1491. Thank you all Trae

 

Take the plugs back out and turn it over by hand. If auto, take torque converter bolts out and turn it over by hand. (see if you can spin the converter by hand also).
Just keep working backwards until it turns over fairly easily by hand (socket and extension on crankshaft bolt)

 

Timing ??

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Gosh. If only we knew where you were located, somebody might be able to offer some personal assistance.

 

Im in menasha wisconsin located 1 mile from Appletin wisconsin

 

I see you guys say this every once in a while. There isn't a way to add location in our profiles on HAMB mobile or on Tapatalk

 

google shows 920 area code as Wisconsin

 

Not surprised it cooked your original starter, a good 'n tight fresh rebuild can do that before everything gets worn in.

Start with the basics. Was the distributor stabbed in right with #1 at TDC on the compression stroke? Yes, then is the camshaft timing gear set correctly? Got spark? Got fuel where it needs to be? Once gave myself a dope slap during the 1st firing of a fresh FE. Why? I forgot to hook the fuel line from the tank back up to the fuel pump. But, I'm sure you would have caught something so simple.

If something is "off" inside the engine (like clearance to tight on rings, bearings, valve train binding, etc.) better to find out now rather than after parts are damaged.

Oh, and stay away from starter fluid. Good luck sir.
-Dave

 

What is the gear lash on the starter? You need it to be 1/8" and you set that by shimming the starter.

Don't know what your compression is and I did not assemble the motor. You really cannot gauge it by the new starter, we fired up a new motor that was 11:1 last week. New starter for up to 18:1 motor would not turn it and we ended up using my old mini.

 

Ah... didn't realize that. I only access the site thru a browser and desktop.

 

Ok tried plugs out spins easy. Plygs in spins slow and hard. Put oil in cyls. Still slow disconnect torque converter still slow cleaned all elec connections still slow. Bigger cables still slow. Ground cable to starter still slow. Now what?

 

Go back and check all the basics. What shape is your battery in? Has the engine started at all? Or, are you still trying for the 1st start and cam break in. Check the basics, it will never start if the distributor is 180* out.
-Dave
edit: you've also pre lubed the engine before attempting to start it up? If not it would be a good time to verify the distributor is in correctly.

 

Ok, lets go with what pistons (as in dished, flat top or domed) and what is the casting number of the heads. It would be rare but you might have hit on a combination that jacks the compression up too high. At least if you have flat tops or dished and stock heads we can eliminate that.

 

Are the rocker arms on and adjusted?

 

Ok .The pistons are stock the heads are original the battery is ay full charge. This is for the first start and break in. Never been run. Checked the number 1 cyl at tdc. The rotor is straight at it. I have new coil cap rotor wires plugs starter. Getting fuel getting spark seems weak though more yellow than blue. Or white. The plygs are delco r45ts. Heads are stamped with the number either .464 or 646 . I had them inspected and no cracks. About month ago i yried to start and got a back fure twice then nothing. I am at a loss almost ready to go buy japanese . My kids who thought i was the cat guy have lost faith and now i am losing it too. Ive done over 50 of these in the past and nevet had this issue. Please someone save me

 

Did you paint the engine? Maybe you have a ground problem. You said you added a ground strp to the starter, maybe you should see if a jumper cable from the + bat terminal to the starter helps. Maybe there is something wrong.

If if turns fine with the plugs out, maybe they are just too long and hit the pistons slightly making them hard to turn over TDC? Just an idea.

 

When you get a backfire I think you may be out a 180° timing wise.

 

If you want to call me im at 920 515 1451

 

My god are there no car guruus up in my area. It used to be we all worked together to help each other out now everyone wants money and no body has a heart

 

Sorry, I´d come over if you were closer but right now I´m sitting here in Bavaria and drinking beer in front of my computer late at night. I´m just browsing my head for things I did wrong in the past to come up with something that could be useful for you. Best I can do is to say: check timing again. If if shoots back at you chances are you are 180° off. Also if the valves are adjusted to tightly will give you backfire....and maybe backoff the plugs a few turns and see if it turns over better, maybe they are too long for your heads.

 

None in Appletin Wisconsin

 

I agree with checking the timing again... Sounds like you may be 180 degrees off.

 

How did you adjust the valves?

Do you have the spark plug wires in the correct firing order?

 

Take a break, knock down a few beers, don't kick the dog wife or kids

 

Doesn't this seem to happen every few months, very few or first post, no region or area just saying, it's like deja vu.

Pat

 

Did he say he's done 50 of these? This sounds a little fishy to me. Or am I wrong? It's getting fuel? How if it doesn't turn over? Electric pump? He's tried all the suggestions given to him. All that work should have taken quite a bit of time. Forgive me if I'm being rude or mistrusting.

 

Agree I've done this more than once getting in a hurry

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I’d say he’s of an electric pump and he’s quite clearly tried everything he can think of before asking for help here. So it’s not like you have him an idea and he went and did it, he’s already tried it.

We’ve all been there. At the end of our rope yelling at a damned old car.

It’s gotta be something simple.

I’m in the timing 180 our camp for the moment.

 

Turns over fine without plugs in it, then takes 126 ft/lbs to turn it over with plugs.

Seems to me some (many) valves are not opening properly.

 

I've been there too with the dizzy 180 out. It was a crate 350 that spun fine just didn't fire. What it did do told me it was 180 out. Maybe it is something simple. Or maybe more than one issue that needs to be found.