Does the Edelbrock carb have an inlet filter? If so, can you "blow" through it? If not, the fuel isn't likely to get through either.

 

jstanton007,

SOMETIMES when carburetors are shipped someone stacks it upside down. Then as it travels the float gets stuck in the up position and will not drop down to allow fuel into the carburetor. Tap the side of the carburetor and see if you can free the float up.

The way you have set the firing order will work but if you look up specs the number one spark plug wire is the terminal that sits at the 5 O'clock position of the distributor cap. I like to set it as it will appear in manuals so I do not have to explain to others what I did. It takes a little time but once it is connected correctly then whoever works on the rig will know "what is what" and not have to "figure this thing out".

You might want to put a few drops of fuel down the throat of the carburetor and see if the engine tries to start. If not then maybe there is something wrong with the wiring of the new MSD.

Have Fun
Scholman
Retired

 

The yellow wire is the starter cranking bypass wire to the coil. It runs from the starters outer-most small post and feeds to the coil + post, and was there to provide a full 12v to the coil during starter cranking, for easier starts. The 12v wire from the ignition switch to the coil(hooked to the same coil post) has a resistance wire in it to keep from burning up the coil and points under normal operation providing only 7-8v, the yellow wire would only provide full 12v when cranking. You can remove it from the starter and take it out of the harness, or just tape it up, you don't need it with the MSD system.

Sounds like you need to determine why the carb has no fuel if you have it in the fuel line up to it. Only a couple of things, either clog/filter in the inlet or a needle and seat/float problem ....or the fuel would be in there.

 

Thanks you all for the advice! Yes the Edelbrock carb does have a small inlet screen mesh fuel filter in it just before it goes into the bowl. I forgot to mention that when I pulled the fuel line I put a piece of scrap hose on the fuel inlet and tried to blow air into the carb by mouth and could not force any air in it at all. I am gonna work on it tonight and try tapping on the carb to see if the float is stuck and then pour a little gas through the carb to see if I can get it started. I will keep you guys posted on my progress and hopefully get it started tonight. I will upload pics once I get it running. Thanks again for all of yalls help!

 

Note Eric's comments as well. Does the MSD Pro Billet require a full 12V power feed? If so, did you rewire to the distributor/coil with regular (not resistance) wire, so that the MSD gets that full 12 Volts? If not, once the fuel problem is solved, the engine will fire, but as soon as you let go of the key it will likely die.

 

Ok so I pulled the fuel line off and tapped on the carb around the fuel inlet and reconnected the fuel line and sure enough it started squirting fuel and it fired right up! But I ran into this problem now: I taped up the yellow wire and just have the red wire from the MSD 6AL Box connected to the 12V Switch (Just like the MSD Instruction say to) but the motor will not shut off after you turn the key off. So what I figure is going on is that the 12V Switch I connected to the Red MSD 6AL Wire to is not actually a 12V Switch but just a 12V constant hot. Am I right or is it something else?

 

Note Eric's comments as well. Does the MSD Pro Billet require a full 12V power feed? If so, did you rewire to the distributor/coil with regular (not resistance) wire, so that the MSD gets that full 12 Volts? If not, once the fuel problem is solved, the engine will fire, but as soon as you let go of the key it will likely die.

PatM...Yes the MSD Pro Billet does require a full 12V feed to the MSD Blaster Coil, but I did not rewire anything yet. Since I am running a MSD 6AL Box I connected the coil +/- and the Pro Billet Distributor to the MSD Box and connected the Box to the battery + and ground to the frame. There is an additional red wire from the 6AL Box that says it needs to be connected to a 12V switch source. So I connected this red wire from the Box to the 12V ignition wire that was originally connected to the old points distributor(thinking it was 12V Switch) and I taped up the old yellow wire since I do not need it with the MSD System. But now the motor starts fine and runs fine but will not turn off so I think the 12V Switch is a 12V Constant hot. So what I am going to do is run a 12V Switch wire from the fuse box to this red wire from the 6AL box and that should fix my problem right?

 

Also while trying to install a set of headers I found that on the driver side the alternator bolts to the original exhaust manifolds. The alternators bottom bolt is threaded into the exhaust manifold, so I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on what lower bracket to use to mount the alternator and where can I get it? The upper bracket that is slotted for tension adjustment is fine and I would like to keep the alternator in the same spot if at all possible.

 

jstanton007,

The 12v wire you have connected to is being fed from the alternator
so when you turn off the engine it continues to run because the alternator is supplying the voltage and not the battery. This wire must be on it's own feed nothing else but the battery to the coil.

I would move the alternator to the passengers side of the engine. There is a bracket that bolts to the head for the bottom of the alternator and another bracket from the water pump and intake manifold for the adjustment bolt on the top of the alternator.

Have Fun
Scholman
Retired

 

Whatever you do, don't get one of those stamped steel brackets designed for use with headers. One of those cost me an engine with only about 5000 miles on a really nice overhaul one lonely night on I5. A 150 mile Tow insued. (Disclaimer: My fault too, as a result of not watching gauges closely enough, but at 9:30 PM, after a 3000 mile road trip, a full tank of fuel, and just starting on the last leg of a long journey . . . .well, I do wish I had added an idiot light)

That said, if you are using a short pump, in the early 70's (like maybe 73-74) the Corvettes had a special bracket that mounted to the bolt holes on the face of the head. This bracket precludes access to the older (late 60s) type power steering pump/reservoir unit, but if you have no leaks, removing the alternator annually to check the fluid isn't such a big deal. The bracket is a casting, and is strong enough to be relied upon.

I suspect Scholman is correct about the wiring. You could start the engine and then disconnect the (I thought it was switched) wire from the MSD unit. If the engine stops this confirms that the wire was hot (battery). When selecting a switched lead, be careful to select one with a sufficient fuse, one without the resistor section, and that you don't overload your ignition switch. I strongly recommend reading up in the electrical section, paying particular attention to Doc Vette's old posts.

Pat

 

You have the MSD box wired correctly, you don't need to change anything there. The run-on problem is feed back voltage from the alternator field wire keeping the system running.

The MSD kit comes with a diode to be put into the field/idiot light wire to the alternator. This allows power to flow to the alternator to excite the field, but doesn't not allow power to back feed from this wire back into the wiring system. This alternator wire is what is causing your run-on. It is in the MSD instructions that installing the diode will correct this.

Make note that the diode is directional, one end has to be towards the alternator because a diode only allows power to travel in one direction through it.

 

Thanks for all the help! I installed the diode and sure enough that fixed the problem!

No I am just trying to fine tune the motor and get it back on the road! Does anyone know what the timing should be set at on a 69' chevy 350?
It has a stock bottom end and cam so the timing should still be the same as factory right, but I dont know what factory timing should be on that motor.

 

jstanton007,

8 degrees before Top Dead Center, with the vacuum advance disconnected and plugged.

Scholman
Retired

 

jstanton007,

8 degrees before Top Dead Center, with the vacuum advance disconnected and plugged.

Scholman
Retired

So I shouldnt run vaccum advance on this motor? The distributor is a MSD Pro-Billet with a vaccum advance canister but it also comes with a vaccum advance lock-out kit. I just hooked up the vaccum advance like normal but would i get better performance by not running vaccum advance?

 

jstanton007,

No, if you have vacuum advance then run it. I was just telling you how to set initial timing. Once you have set the timing to 8 degrees B.T.D.C. then reconnect the vacuum hose to the vacuum advance. That is the "stock" setting.

Scholman
Retired

 

Has anyone ever encounter the mark on the harmonic balancer jumping around alot when trying to set the timing?
I am using an old Sears timing light dont know if that has anything to do with it since I am using a new MSD Distributor and MSD 6AL Box.

 

Yes

Many of us have had that experience. It's often caused by a bad timing chain.

P

 

When I went to set the timing at 8 degrees BTDC like Sholman said to do I noticed the timing marked jumped around from about 0 to 12 erratically. From reading some other posts on here I was wondering if it had anything to do with the fact that I am running an ignition box or could the timing light be picking up stray voltage?

 

jstanton007,

It could be the timing light BUT my money is on a bad timing chain and worn cam gear. The reason I say this is because the timing light does not run off of your ignition box it picks up the signal from the spark plug. So to have a timing mark move all around is a sign of chain and gear wear.

Scholman
Retired

 

Has anyone ever encounter the mark on the harmonic balancer jumping around alot when trying to set the timing?
I am using an old Sears timing light dont know if that has anything to do with it since I am using a new MSD Distributor and MSD 6AL Box.

From MSD's tech line-

Try using a 'plain Jane, bare bones, inductive' timing light that will wire to the battery and the number 1 spark plug wire. The timing light pickup should be as close to the wire boot end at the cap as possible. Also use an isolated power source such as another battery or car pulled up along side that vehicle and power the timing light from that source.