What went wrong?, it was running great and then not at all Options

[Type 47]

so we put the original 62k engine back in that had not had the distributor removed. Adjusted the valves (again after we put about 10 miles on it) we rebuilt the Webbers and it fired up. We did some timing and tweaking on the carbs.

It ran OK but a little shy of perfect. I replaced the wires and it seemed to improve it but idled a little high around 1,200.

My son came over to work on it the next day, but I wasn't home. All of a sudden, it won't even run.

we swapped distributers (both 009's) with the parts car, then swapped points (adjusted to 0.016). no improvement.

tested spark to all four cylinders. I seems like it's really out of timing but we didn't change it much. (except for the fact that we took the distributor out)

my son says we have spark, too much fuel, and not enough air.

What do we do next?????

[technicalninja]

with a timing light while the engine is running.

We did get it running, kind of. So we used a timing light. But i'm not sure how to use it. I was able to hold rpm at 3,500 while it was scoped and the mark was there.

I'm not sure if the 914s have a full advance timing mark but most cars don't.

If a standard style mark (usually idle with vac lines removed from dist) is being used and he saw that mark at 3,500 rpm he may still be way off on his timing.
3,500 will usually have almost all of the mechanical advance in and some of the vac adv/retard in.

I am not a 914 timing guru yet but I'd expect that the "timing" would be way the hell out at 3500 rpm if I could see the timing marks in the indicator. I'd expect 25 degrees + of advance at that speed.

Ignition function and timing FIRST. Then setting up fuel, balance airflow, set throttle linkage second.

The linkage has to be adjusted, just being "tight" is not being adjusted.
Replacing linkage before understanding how the linkage is to be adjusted will only further the OPs frustration with this process IMO.

On my 914 we didn't even get feeler gauges out to check points. A dwell meter was used from the start. I had to find my dwell meter as I hadn't used it in 20 years.
It took longer to find that critter than it took to set the points...

Just checked my "tune up" specs tag on my 75 L-jet 1.8. It says timing is to be 7.5 degrees advance at 850 +/- 50 rpm with vacuum hoses to distributor removed...
So the Germans are using a "normal" timing procedure and if he's seeing the marks at 3500rpm he is 25+ degrees RETARDED!
It is completely IMPOSSIBLE to adjust carburators at these timing settings.

The distributor should be twisted toward advance 20+ degrees.

Get it running with a slightly lose distributor clamp and try to twist it either way.
One direction it will get worse and the other it will clean up.

I can set what I call "base" timing with a timing light hooked up to the coil wire and the fuel system disabled. I'd want to see the timing mark in the window without the car running. The coil wire will flash 4 times for 2 revolutions and two of those flashes will be on the marks. two will not but your brain will overlook them and all you will see will be the marks themselves.

Your timing is still WAY out. That has to be addressed first before the carbs are messed with.

If my son had completely removed a pair of ITB carbs before we diagnosed what was wrong with the car I'd kill him.

If he left the intakes wide open, I'd bring him back to life and kill him again...

I don't use rags for closing off open intakes. Had too many sucked into engines when they were turned over by accident, I use the aluminum tape (has the paper covering the sticky side). This stuff doesn't break, and it peels back off nicely when you need to remove it. Nothing gets into intakes.