It's Alive... Alive!!! umm... now what?, Got the engine started! thanks to all! Options

[beemie96]

Tested the coil - that didn't test as well as I thought, so I cleaned the points, and it tested better. But, still no spark.

What could it be? plug wires? Nah, they're pretty new, as are the dist cap, rotor, points, condenser, etc. But, everything looked to be in order and testing like it should work... so I finally employed the wife to start the car while I watched the distributer spin... guess what... the points weren't opening! Apparently they were replaced, but not set properly, and the dist wasn't moving them. So I 'eyeballed' it, put everything back together, and tried it again...

Spark! Whoo Hoo!

So, could it be that easy? hook up the plug wires again, turn the key

It sputtered! Holy crap! That means spark got to a plug!

Turn the key, hold it for a good minute while the car struggles...

And it starts! It's alive! Whoo hoo!

Now, I was told that it hadn't run in years, and it's got enough crap burning off it, and enough smoke coming from the exhaust that I believe it. But, it started and ran for 10 minutes! It's leaking oil at the tube seals, so they're on order from Pelican, as are shifter bushings, valve cover gaskets, speed bleeders, brake fluid, and some other items.

Still plenty to do, but when the engine starts, it just feels more productive. Now I know I'm working on a 'running' car!

Any suggestions on the things I need to do before I put this baby on the road? I'm sure some things will crop up after i test drive it... but i want to survive the test drive!