I finally managed to get the motor fired up for the first time in the car today. However, it wasn't without making a bunch of rookie FE motor errors.
First take - when I stabbed in the distributor I didn't get it indexed with the
oil pump. It dropped right in when I hit the starter but was obviously off a tooth then. Pulled distributor, fiddle with the
oil pump drive and moved it one tooth over.
Second take - nothing. Seems to have no spark. Traced power from the ballast resister all the way through the coil and to distributor and had voltage. Then noticed that the coil wire wasn't engaged in the cap. This set of plug wires has a coil wire with straight terminals and 90 deg boots and the terminal wants to slip up into the boot and straighten out.
Third take - no go. Now questioning if I really have the distributor timed with the firing cycle on no. 1. Pull the pass side valve cover - verify both no. 1 valves are closed - pop the distributor cap and aaahhgggg - rotor is pointing 180 deg wrong direction. Pull the distributor for about the fifth time and move it to fire on no. 1 - fiddle with the
oil pump drive - finally get distributor in.
Fourth take - it turns like it's over-advanced but finally fires but runs out of fuel in the bowl before it can get full prime from the tank. Rotate distributor and re-prime carb fuel bowl.
Fifth take - I got the distributor close enough and finally get fuel from the tank and it runs.
However, ammeter is on sligt discharging and the cracked heater hose shut off valve that I thought might hold tight in closed position, starts leaking a stream so fun is over for the day. ERA has a new valve in the mail to me but I apparently have an alternator or regulator problem and the last one of those I had was a real puzzle to figure out.
Here are videos for the fourth and fifth takes if you have a few minutes with nothing to do. At least I think they will work - click on the picture and hope for the best.
Best laugh of the day. I got up and went to the gun show downtown this morning and arrived a few minutes before they opened the doors. A long line of people is formed out into the parking lot for hundreds and hundreds of yards in 35 deg temps. It took over a half hour just to get in once the doors open. While waiting in the still growing line the guy in front of me turns to his buddy and says, "You know - the crowd this year is even bigger than after the last election."