That motor needs 4 things to run: air, fuel, compression and spark. Apparently the engine is getting enough fuel and unless the carb is falling off of it, it probably isn't getting too much air.

1) Is the engine drawing in the fuel air mixture? Put a rag over the carb opening and crank the motor ( Hang on very tightly to the rag ). Does the engine try to suck the rag into the carb? If not, you have valve train problems.

2) You have spark, but is it at the correct time? Turn the engine over slowly until the timing indicator is right at the TDC mark on the flywheel. ( While you are doing this, is the rotor moving?) Shine a light into the #1 sparkplug hole. Is the piston at the top of the cylinder? If not, turn the motor over one more time until the timing indicator is at TDC and the #1 piston is at the top of its cylinder. With a magic marker, mark the side of the distributor where the #1 terminal is on the distributor cap. This terminal typically has a "1" stamped next to it. Now, pop off the distributor cap and see if the rotor is pointing very close to the #1 terminal on the distributor cap. If the rotor is within about 10 degrees either way of the terminal, the engine should at least attempt to start. If the rotor is no where near the #1 position, your timing chain is probably shot.

3) Do a compression test on the engine.

When considering all of the raw fuel you that have poured into that motor, I am surprised that it hasn't at least been backfiring through the carb or the exhaust pipe. I am wondering if your timing chain snapped when you shut the motor off and now you have no working valve train. I had a friend who had this happen to his truck.

 

Unless a big hose, like from your brake booster fell off.

If you are getting spark, the dist has to be turning. No broken chain.

 

It's still a good idea to index the motor, pull the driver side valve cover and watch the valve events also. The intake will have finished closing by the time the piston is at TDC.
I vote for the timing set being worn out. It is possible to have the chain slip, which puts the valves and ignition out of time with the crank. Backlash is the prime suspect here; parts just don't like to reverse direction that quick.

Good idea to check for vacuum leaks.

 

No broken chain is right but that doesn't mean it hasn't skipped.

 

ok, I checked the timing and when piston 1 is at TDC and the timing mark is lined up the rotor is pointing just ahead of the number one plug, so I think the timing is fine. I went ahead and checked all the vaccum hoses and they seem fine. Then I tried cranking it with a rag over the carb opening, and it didn't even pull on it. But I noticed that when I tried cranking it that now even though the flywheel is turning, it sounds REALLY high pitched. It almost seems like its not moving the engine (pistons). But when I checked the timing I was rotating the flywheel and it was moving the cylinder in the number 1 chamber. So is this an extention of what originally happened? What does this indicate is wrong?

 

a few pre checks.

1. Pop the distributor cap off, crank the engine, check if the rotor is turning normally. inspect rotor and cap.
2. Check the spark plugs and verify they are not fouled (gas soaked or carboned up). It would be a good time to do a compression test at this time. Write down the compression numbers on a sheet of paper.
3. Pull off a valve cover, check if the rocker arms are moving up and down.

-Buck-
"Sometimes it an easy fix, and sometimes it's not"

 

I would suggest pulling all the plugs out and let the cylinders breathe for a while.

Let out any residue of fuel and start over.
I have an idea all the plugs are saturate with fuel.

You may even check for spark right at the plugs while they're out.

 

checked, and the rotor is turning when I crank the engine. I don't have a compression gauge (got stolen outta a car I was working on), but I'm going to borrow one.

I've pulled 4 of the plugs so far, and they all spark fine. I'll try letting them all breathe though.

I haven't pulled the valve cover yet, because I noticed when I was cranking it there were air bubbles coming out from between the carb and intake manifold. I checked and it was blowing out gas. There was also air bubble coming up from a spot on the middle of the drivers side of the manifold. Gas was also spurting out a bit from the top of the carb, along with a bit of smoke or something. Not a lot and not heavy, but it was definatly there. Then I opened up the accelorator linkage and the spurting and smoking and bubbling stopped. THis is the first I've noticed it, so I can't say how long that has been happening.

 

Could have jumped time at the timing chain. They usually do that just as you shut off the engine. Is there any gas dripping into the carb when you are cranking it to cause it to flood itself? There shouldn't be.

Sounds like the intake valves are opening too soon causing them to be open during compression and pushing the mixture buck up thru the intake.

The distributor isn't really loose and has moved abunch has it?

 

Along with the precheck on post # 21.
4. Disconnect the ground cable, turn the harmonic cranshaft balancer in a counter clock direction and then rotate back in a clockwise direction. How much play (1/16, 1/8, 3/16, or 1/4 turn) does the timing chain have?

 

Nope, distributor is tight. If the timing chain jumped wouldn't the timing be off? It seems to me that its on, cylinder 1 @ TDC and the rotor is just before the #1 plug.

There isn't any gas dripping into the carb, it just jets when the accelerator linakage is hit. Shuts right off when up either let up.

 

Does it start up while the key is in the start position?

 

It isn't good that the intake is leaking anything

That means air gets in through a different place than it is supposed to.

From these illustrations ....
Exactly where on the intake is the bubbling happening ?


http://mil1ion.clubfte.com/FordVacuumDiagrams.html

 

I copied the yellow pic Mil1ion, and marked about where the leak is. The one on the left is where its leaking from the carb, and the one on the right is about where its leaking from the intake itself. Its actually a couple of inches off the valve cover.


I tried starting it again this morning, and I noticed something. Normally when I start this or my dads truck (same truck, same engine just standard cab), you can see the engine rock side to side, and even feel it a bit. But since yesterday, thats not happening. When I crank it the flywheel turns, the rotor turns, but it seems like maybe the pistons aren't moving or something. When I timed it at least the number one piston was moving, so I'm not sure what to think.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...109958&width=0

 

Did you not check for piston movement when you pulled the plugs ?

Just put your finger in the sparkplug hole and have someone crank the engine.
If there is compression to push your finger out ....the piston is moving

Those leaks have to be fixed

Are you sure there wasn't a huge backfire or or clunk when you shut the engine off ?

Sometimes run-on can blow hard enough to strip a timng gear.

Have you done the timing chain /gear slop test yet ?