Are you sure you are not 180 degrees off on timing? #1 and #6 are both up at the same point in relation to the timing tab.

Richard

_________________
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Jumped time maybe? If it isn't what Fopar said get a piston stop, find TDC, and then see where your rotor is pointing.

_________________
82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

Or take valve cover and make sure the #1 intake and exhaust are both up.

Richard

_________________
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

I tried reversing the distributor (180) but there was no change. In fact I tried so many orientations on the distributor that I would have thought I'd get combustion at least once - unless there's only one really small sweet spot on a /6. That makes me wonder if I'm missing something else? Hoping not to pull the valve cover, but will if that's the only way to make sure.

See here

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Appreciate all the tips guys, but still no-go. Walked the rotor around the clock twice, in smallest increments - no change. I located TDC on piston #1 by measuring when the air escapes, still not running. I have spark at #1 piston, new wires... am I missing something or just not being patient enough?

Pop the valve cover and watch the valves as you crank it over. When TDC comes around on your balancer both the intake and exhaust valves on #1 should be closed. If not it's probably jumped time.

_________________
82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

Well I did like you suggested Jeb - pulled the valve cover and turned the motor until I could confirm TDC. It's actually at 10 degrees before the zero mark, so I re-marked the crank pulley and matched the rotor to the #1 terminal in the distributor. No change. If I have spark and timing correct, why no firing? I started to suspect a vacum problem. I can see gas squirting into the bowl, but maybe there's no vacum to carry it into the cylinders (my new carb is a weber). So I swapped on an old BBD carb and got one change - now it backfires through the carb every few revolutions. Pretty cool fireworks but still falling short. Anyone got more ideas?
Bill - still waiting for that Dr. Frankenstein moment when I can say "it's alive!"

Hmm, sounds like your timing is still retarded. My bet is that it jumped time on you. I'm guessing this car still has the factory timing chain on it?

That's just my guess, wait and see what the other users say before you tear into it.

But you can do this, turn over your engine until it's a TDC, then remove the distributor cap and SLOWLY rotate the engine by hand in the opposite direction until the rotor on the distributor barely starts to move. Then look at your balancer and see how many degrees it's off from where you started. That will tell you how much slop you have in the timing chain.

Tell us what you find.

_________________
82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

The rotor began to move almost as soon as I moved the crank pulley backward. Certainly less than 5 degrees of difference.

SUCCESS! Must have not been timed correctly until today, despite numerous attempts. My last workday I removed the valve cover and observed and marked where TDC was... just between when the intake closed and the exhaust opened on #1 cylinder. I had aligned the rotor to point to #1 terminal at that precise point in rotation, but that didn't help. A local /6 guy told me to try it 180 out from that position. I did and got a sputter, adjusted one more tooth and got it to run. So thanks all for the advise and moral support! Now, on to adjusting a run-away carb...