ok i am trying to start an old project of mine. i have a 1957 235 in a 53 truck. pedal start, 12v conversion. stock except for a accel hei ignition setup. so i have fuel getting to the carb, spark , compression but no bang. set the igntion timing to tdc. (not advanced or retarded)
i can get it to backfire to my hand, if i completely seal my hand over the carb. what am i missing?
i haven't done a compression test. will do tomorrow. but im pretty sure it is ok. the engine was fine before i did a complete rebuild 3-4 years ago. has been sitting since.
any ideas will be appreciated.
thanks.
Pat

You need to advance the distributor.

Is there any chance the distributor is 180 out?

I've done that myself, did more or less the same thing you describe (I didn't seal the carb with my hand but it didn't backfire till I 'put both feet on the dash and pulled the choke ALL the way out' as my dad would say ).

Good luck, I know exactly how frustrating it is when a project doesn't want to fire when it 'should'.

Pull number 1 plug and have some one bump the starter while you put you finger over the hole, when your finger pops off of the sparkplug hole you at basically at #1, check where the timing mark is and try to align it, make sure your rotor is pointing to the #1 plug wire in the cap, this will get you close enough to get it started and you may have twist the dizzy further to keep it running.

I agree with Nexxussian. It sounds to me like your dizzy is 180 degrees out of phase with the crankshaft. The timing mark will line up when #1 is on the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke, but it won't fire when you crank it over. Do the old finger in the plug hole trick and make sure you're on the compression stroke, and you should be fine.

OK. got an update..i was 180 degrees out on the distributor..but i still have no vacuum pulling the gas into the cyl. i can get it to backfire now with starting fluid. did a compression test and everything is ok.. not sure on the cam to crank timing. now.. im going to pullt he front cover off this weekend.. thank you to everyone who replied.. i have tried everything you suggested and it all helped in one way or another. will elt you know how it goes.

That is odd (that it still won't start).

I look forward to your post of success (and to let us know what it was).

You can get a good idea of cam/crank timing by watching the rockers on #1 through a couple of revolutions and watching the timing mark and distributer. If you haven't modified the inner two bolts on the timing cover you have to pull the oil pan and that is a pain! Make sure the carb bowel is full and prime it with a little gas. Stand back and have a fire extinguisher handy! Does a '57 have hydraulic lifters? Are they pumped up?

ok still trying to get this thing started. took it all back apart. checked the cam and crank timing. its ok.. pulled the head off and checked all the valves. none are leaking or sticking. i do have hydraulic lifters. i did prime the lifters when i put them in a few years ago. they are probably leaked down now. i don't think that would prevent it from starting. do these engines have any vacuum during cranking. i have no vacuum at the distributor advance when cranking. going to try a newly rebuilt carb now.

That same finger over the plug hole should detect vacuum at the cylinder. Check it on the intake manifold too. You may not have a good seal between the head and manifolds.

i have fire.

first thanks to all the replies i got.
second i hate to tell you im not really sure what was wrong. ill tell you this. it doesn't have the stock exhaust on it anymore. im thinking that the exhaust was preventing me from bringing the intake completely snug up to the head. regardless a few backfires then bang. i didn't have it running for very long since it was getting late and kinda loud straight piped. but dual exhaust does sound awesome.. don't think i will sleep but i will get it completely warmed up tomorrow. then its time for a spin around the neighborhood.

Way to go! You just gotta' stick with it! I wish I had that quality.

still havent gotten the engine runnign for any period of time.. i have put the original distributor back in with a new coil, points,cap, rotor, and wires. i removed the oil pan, front cover and double checked the timing. dead on. i adjusted the valves multiple times(too many beers) rebuilt a second carb and installed. now my problem is it starts and then dies.. won't continue to run. if i stop cranking and give it a 5-10sec break. it will start then die.. had a meter on the coil. not losing voltage.

Just catching up on these posts, so I'll ask: Have you checked fuel delivery from the pump forward?

I think that I would check over the fuel system... I had a '50 Chev that acted similarly. I eventually found that the suction line from the tank to the pump was nearly full of rust flakes. The fuel pump could pull a bit a gas through while cranking, but went to instant vapor lock when the engine started. I temporarily ran a hose from the tank to the pump bypassing the hard line for testing purposes when I found that I couldn't blow out or ream out the line. This engine would start and idle for a few minutes, but couldn't accept any load or raised RPM due to fuel starvation.

Check your fuel pressure from the pump to the carb, too. If the fuel pump diaphragm (sp?) is cracked or broken, you won't be getting enough fuel to make the engine run.

As long as you're sure all the plug wires are right this sounds like fuel. Try priming the carb and see if it runs longer. Be careful and don't pour in too much!