the old timer is used to being in the v10 area, so please pardon my hitting in this one

just got myself a 63 with a 352 in it, vechicle was last run 15 years ago, driving into a barn and parked. nothing done to it for storage.

when i got it first thing was to pull the valve covers and make sure no valves were stuck open and all moved freely, next up we found a small plastic part inside the distributor had broken off and stuck the weights, installed a new rebuilt unit, still no spark, replaced the coil. cap rotor and wires cranks no start, no fuel up into the carb. replaced the fuel pump. started flooding it out, installed a brand new holley 4v. did a compression test,it's all over the board lowest of 100 highest of 150. most at 125.specs call for 160 to 200..dwell is 30 degs timing at 6btdc
still the same thing. cranks wants to start but won't. it will hit now and then,but not fire up fully.

i've been told it could have dropped the timing chain, just this beast looks like the motor had been rebuilt at some point. the engine was painted for sure out of the body, is it common for a fe to have the chain go out of time,but run ok till it's shut off, then jump when some one trys to start it up days,weeks.or longer?

42 years as a auto tech and this one has me by the nuts big time.

 

hey cap, I just replied to your email, but I'll copy it here too just so everyone can join in on the band-wagon

If you have a compression gauge, check the compression on at least one cylinder while cranking and the carb wide open. If the cam jumped enough that it won't start, the compression will obviously be way off. If it's anything like stock, it should be 120-150lbs or so, I think. If the motor was "freshened" I doubt the timing chain slipped.

Or, if the valve covers are still off, just rotate the engine slowly, watching the intake valve on #1 and make sure it opens on the intake stroke, and is closed on the compression stroke.

Did you check for a spark at the coil, AND at the spark plug?

 

Hope you cleaned out the fuel tank and are using fresh gas. If not the gas has the btu's of a mild fart and is mostly varnish.

 

Did you try putting a LITTLE gas into the carb and then try starting?

 

If it sat for that long your not going to get get compression numbers until it fires up and cleans the ring lands of the micro rust.

I'd pull the plug and pull the valve covers, squirt marvel oil in each Cly stuff rags between the exhaust manifolds and head to catch the oil.
Now crank it over until you see oil come out the rockers and bleed on to the valves. now you can also see if #1 rockers are closed as the timming mark goes by the TDC mark using the timming light.
Now dunk each plug in a cap of gas and install.
double check the point gap make sure there clean. run a hot wire to the coil so you have full voltage to the coil and crank it.
fords of that vintage used a Resistance wire not a ballast resistor like others. giving the coil 12v to start help almost double the spark voltage. Most other brand do it in start then swap to a ballast resistor.

I've got a 60's motors manual if you need tune up data

44Dwarf

 

first thing done was to pull the covers and the dizzy and turn the oil pump with a electric drill till we had oil up top. pump up the lifters. yes we tryed giving it some marval oil in the holes and let it sit a few days to soak the rings and before trying to start it.



no on useing gas from the fuel tank. not even hooked up to it, been trying to start with a hose hooked up to the pump from a 5 gal gas can, knew better then try and start with the 15 year old gunk that was in the tank

with the dizzy out we found the broken part,so the dizzy is a new rebuilt, with new points and condenser. new plugs,cap.rotor,wires, new fuel pump.brand new 600 cfm holley. compression is up to 125 in every hole. it has spark to each plug, dwell is 30 degs.timing set to 10btdc while cranking


even pulled the timing cover today, and found the timing chain dead on timing.steel gears,no slack in it, the motor had been freshened or rebuilt,it is spotless all over inside.



all i get is a now and then fart of trying to start. even with a shot of fresh raw gas down the carb

 

A couple things come to mind:

First, disconnect the primary wire from the coil, turn the key to the "run" position and check voltage. Then, check voltage at the same point while cranking. Regardless of the numbers, you should have voltage in both operating conditions.

Second, verify that the distributor is in time with the valve events on number one cylinder. I'm leaning heavily toward your install being off by a tooth, or 180*.

Also, for the time being, set your point gap at .017". I had a dwell meter fail sometime in the '80s. I have yet to replace it.

 

done all that man! new dizzy,new coil,plugs,wires,cap n rotor. dwell is 30 deg,timing 10btdc, new fuel pump,new carb,pulled the timing cover,checked the cam timing, hot wired the coil got 12 v to it off run on the switch.
only thing i haven't done yet is something some one else in fte just said, did you drop the exhaust of the manifolds,

he reminded me that field mice love to build nests any where they can.if it is big enough just maybe trying to start it packed the mess in so tight it's keeping the motor from breathing by being 100% back pressure, if this turns out to be the problem this is one super red faced old age 64 mechanic.

 

firing order? last time i tried to break a new engine in, i wired the dizzy up clockwise, instead of counter-clockwise. talk about red-faced...

 

rusty your not alone on being red faced with this beast. 42 working in dealers and on my own,never have i had a motor not fire up after all this work.
the fireing order is by the book, counter clock wise number 1 just to the right of the rear zizzy clip as marked on the cap. friday i filled the cylinders with wd40 and let it soak with the plugs out . we had 8 inches for snow yesterday so it was a plow all day,day, today i hope to get in to the shop, crank it over to blow out the wd40,reinstall the plugs and drop the exhaust pipes off the manifolds and pray it fires

 

still cranks over for 20 to 30 seconds fires and won't stay running, even when hot wired right from the battery,
any one ever have a oil pump relief valve stick and over pressure the lifters and hold the valves just off the seats?
i'm at a loose here this thing should run but won't.at the point where i'm almost ready to pull it out and redo the top end.

all the most haves are there fuel and spark at the right time,

 

Start advancing the timing until it starts to hinder cranking (if ever). You know how the crank gets "ruh ruh ruh" when the timing is too far advanced? Than back it off until it cranks easy. With it stone cold, and dry of gas in the cylinders, pump the gas pedal twice and crank. While cranking, keep pumping and then hold it and continue cranking.

 

done tryed that, thinking of a possible problem with the oil pump having a stuck relief valve or rusted lifters sicking and not dumping unneeded oil out the vent hole. and causing the valves to hold open after it gets full oil pressure.
at any rate i'm going to pull it out and doing a refresh, rings .valve job, new lifters and oil pump

 

Weird... maybe the rings are just so stuck in the pistons that you're not building enough compression.

Definitely let us know what you find.

 

the lady is for sale, i'm to where i can't afford to fix it. what i thought was a numbers matching ride is not. the motors date stamp is 6d22m or dec 22 1966 the ride was built 15 oct 1962. deeper digging came up with a X code meaning a 352 2v for the motor. 1963 352, was a 2 barrel only, a 4 v carb option came on the 66