Nope, that works.

 

Today I got the armature from the junk yard and put it in, I also double checked the accelerator pump spring and it was backwards. So I fixed that. Next I checked to make sure that I had spark at each plug and I had great spark at all of them. NOW WHAT? I am really frustrated!

 

Has the timing been checked? Has the rotor been checked to see if it's pointing at the #1 terminal when the #1 cylinder is at TDC? If the timing is out-of-whack, it might cause the engine to not start...

 

I have not done that yet. How do you know if its the compression or exhaust stroke when you are doing this?

 

Best way I can think of is to pull the rocker cover off on that side and watch the rockers for that cylinder as you turn the crank pulley (removing the spark plugs first will probably make this a lot easier) - if both rockers are 'up' and it looks like both valves are closed, then it's on the compression stroke - if the rocker for the exhaust valve is 'down' and it looks like the exhaust valve is open, then it's on the exhaust stroke...

 

If you haven't done a compression check already, it's time to do so.

 

OK. So what exactly am I looking for? Do you think I should wait on finding TDC and the position of the rotor in relation to #1 on the distributor and check the compression first?

 

It'd probably be best to check compression first...

 

I wont get to this untill Friday, but what range am I looking for on the compression? Also, why would this keep my truck from starting?

 

When it comes to compression, you're looking for consistency. If all of your clyinders are in between 100 and 110 PSI (just an example), that's better than 7 of them being 150 and one of them being zero, in my opinion. Typically you want the highest and lowest cylinders to be within 10% of each other.

It takes four things for an engine to fire - air, fuel, spark, and compression. Compression takes into account camshaft timing. If the air/fuel mixture can't compress with both the intake and exhaust valves closed during the compression stroke before the spark, the engine can't fire.

Have you pulled the air horn off the carburetor to make sure the bowl actually has fuel? Discharging the accelerator pump isn't always a reliable way to make sure you're getting fuel.

Has your distributor ever been taken out? You might want to statically time it by making sure that the number one spot on the cap is about in the 1 o'clock position when your engine is at TDC per the timing marks on the balancer.

 

SHE"S ALIVE! I got her running today finally! Runs great, sounds great and the new tranny shifts like a dream! However, when I was driving around I notice the headlights started to slowly dim and the the radio stopped working. I shut it off and tried to restart it when I got home and nothing. The battery is dead. I was able to jump it but it took awhile to do so. I had the battery checked awhile ago and tested fine. Could all the turning over (trying to get it running) the past couple of weeks caused the battery to not accept a charge? Or could it be my alternator or my voltage regulator? Please share your endless wisdom!

 

Congrats on getting it running - what did you do to fix it?

If you can get it started - connect a meter to battery posts - it should read around 14VDC - that should tell you whether or not the alternator is working...

 

Today I checked the compression and all cylinders were 120-130 psi. SO I found TDC by removing the #1 plug and turning over via hand starter. I also checked and the white timing mark was right on the edge of the pointer. So I pulled the cap and found that the rotor was not pointing at the #1 cylinder. I removed the distributor and that was a farking pain in the "A"! I am going to remove that damn A/C when I am able to! Could not have been more in the way. Also when I removed the distributor the oil pump shaft came out of its spot in the pump and I had a heck of a time getting it back to its spot. Anyway, I set the distributor at the #1 spot and put it al back together. Then I bought brand new Motorcraft plugs gapped them and put them in. The Bosch platinium plugs that were in it were pretty rough. So I gve it a shot and still nothing. Keep in mind that I am trying to start her from under the hood because I am having so many issues with the ignition wiring. Turns out one of the connectors that goes to the front of the starter solenoid was not hooked up right. Well I had it on the wrong one. I tried the other and bam.....she started. So to make a long story short......I had to switch a wire and it worked. I am going to temporarely wire a horn switch to the cab to drive the truck untill spring when I have more patience and time to work on her wiring issues. So the only unnessesary thing I purchased was starter solenoid. Everything else I bought was bad and needed to be replaced. Basically I am out....time!

Thanks for all the help and hopefully we can get past this "last" hurdle and I can enjoy her a bit before the snow.

If I am not getting the 14v is it the regulator or the alt?

 

With the engine running, you should get a ~14V reading across the battery posts.
With the engine off, and if the battery is charged, you should get a ~12V reading across the battery posts.

Has the battery been tested? It could have died on you and it's a lot easier to change than an alternator...

I wouldn't think it would be the regulator...

 

Check the voltages per Furyus1's instructions and post your results.