do not crank your engine more than five to ten seconds at a time. if it does not start, it will not start until you find out why. if you cannot resist cranking and cranking for minutes at a time, pull the plugs because the engine is flooded (if you are getting fuel) and won't start even if you repair the problem.

static timing the engine is not adequate for a final setting. you should not have disturbed the distributor without one at the ready. you guys need to slow down and plan your work through. get a timing light, and a multimeter, now. we will teach you how to use them if need be.

Since the ballast resistor is bypassed during engine cranking, it seems very unlikely that's going to solve the problem. Look for faulty wiring in the ignition circuit. You can very easily test for this: run a test lead from battery positive or alternator B+ to the coil +, then arc the starter with a screwdriver. If the engine starts and runs, find and fix the wiring faults.

That helical distributor drive pinion can whup even those of us who've removed and installed slant-6 distributors countless times. It can seem for all the world like everything's exactly where it's supposed to be, and yet the durn thing won't start! There are only 10(?) teeth on the pinion, so at times like these, I usually just remove the distributor hold-down bolt, note the position of the rotor, carefully pull the distributor out, very slightly turn the rotor clockwise and push the distributor back down, thus advancing it by one tooth. Snap the cap back on (don't bother with the hold-down bolt, as long as you can see the hold-down bolt hole in the block through the distributor hold-down plate), and crank the engine. If still nothing, advance the distributor one more tooth. Keep repeating this, and sooner or later you will get some activity under the hood. It'll likely start with a change in the starter sound — either the starter will struggle and hitch, or it'll spin faster as the engine "tries" to start, or maybe you'll get a "POOF!" spitback through the carburetor. Keep advancing the distributor a tooth at a time until the engine fires and runs. Advance it one more tooth to see if the engine runs better or worse. If better, leave it there. If worse, go back one tooth. Then reinstall the hold-down bolt loosely, set your timing by the normal procedure with a timing light, and tighten down the bolt.