Since you have the wire going to the "i" terminal on the starter relay, you should have voltage on the coil + when the key is in run and during cranking. You can test this by hooking a testlight to the coil +, and then it should light when the key is turned to run, and it should also light when cranking.

Then move the testlight to the negative of the coil. In run the testlight may or may not light. But what you are looking for now is the testlight to blink on and off when the engine is turning over. If it is, your ignition system is working.

 

@JimsRebel Here are some pictures showing that wire, inside and outside the cab. It's 6 inches from the 4 way female connector to the factory splice where the resistor wire starts. 14" to the firewall. about 16 1/2" from the firewall inside the cab to the factory splice, but there is a loop in the wire about 7 inches long, that makes about 30" in the cab and 44" total, give or take. Got some pictures as well.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Jim

 

Got these messages a little late to my slow email I’ll try this today after work thanks

 

Used your advice franklin2 actually got the thing to fire, it’s backfiring through the carb so I probably got some wires crossed, this was a EFI engine and now a carb so which of these in the pic applies or does it make a difference, Also I got zapped a couple times touching plug wires, maybe I don’t have something grounded?

 

How do you have the firing order set now EFI or not?
If it is not running right then try the other and see what happens.
My guess if the motor was EFI and all you did was put a carb & intake on it then nothing has changed the firing order from the EFI setup.

Then you have that "shocking" from plug wires this is not good.
This points to bad leaking plug wires and need to be replaced.
As a test when you get it running better, this could be why bad wires, at night run the motor and see if you see a light show from the wires.
Then take a water spray bottle and spray the wires do you now see a light show? If yes wires are leaking and need to be replaced.
Dave ----

 

The camshaft determines the firing order. Only the HO 5.0 liter had the 351w firing order of 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 A regular 5.0 has a firing order of 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 which should be yours if it is all original. Aftermarket camshafts seem to gravitate toward the 5.0 ho firing order, so if it ever had the cam changed it could be the other 351w firing order.

Just because it's efi doesn't make it a HO engine. It may even have a roller block, but the trucks kept the regular camshaft and lifter setup of the older engines.

I would try the regular 302 firing order of 15426378 and then twist the dist around a little bit either way and see if it will take off. If it keeps backfiring through the carb and cranking unevenly, I suspect you may be 180 out on the dist. If you want to double check this, take the very front pass side sparkplug out and then bump the engine over while holding your thumb over the sparkplug hole. When it starts trying to blow your thumb off the hole stop, and then keep turning the engine by hand the same direction till the marks line up on the pointer. Then pull the dist cap and see if the rotor is pointing to the wire to #1 which is the one that you took the sparkplug out of. There are two spots that the marks come around on during the cycle of the engine, you may be on the wrong one.

 

And then while you're doing that, might as well continue in that vein and see if the next one to push your finger off the hole is the #3 or the #5 cylinder.
Gives you even more confirmation.

Paul

 

OK thanks everybody I will check it after work today