Re: non-running '65 spider - help?

[Simon Favre <simon@domain.elided>]

If it's backfiring out the carb, you must have it 180 degrees out. You
can verify the orientation of the cams without pulling the cover. Pull
the spark plugs and have one person rotate the engine by hand while the
other looks down the #1 plug hole. The sequence of operations is, exhaust,
intake, compression, power. Once you see the intake valve thru the #1
spark plug hole, the next time you get to TDC, the engine is lined up.
At that point, the disty rotor should be pointing at the #1 wire. If not,
rearrange the wires at the disty cap. Set the static timing and it should 
fire.

Jack Chesley wrote:

>   Well, I spent a couple hours this weekend trying to help a friend get
>his '65 spider started.  The car was apparently running last fall, but
>breaking up at higher revs, so he tried to install an electronic 
>distributor and never got the car started after that.  Car has new wires, 
>points, plugs, coil.
>    We:
>- - replaced the old bosch points distributor (since the leads had been
>reversed and we suspected the new one may have been fried)
>- - double checked that the offset dist drive was in correctly
>- - set the static timing at P
>- - double checked the new plug wires went to 1-3-4-2 plugs
>- - triple checked that spark @ #1 plug was occuring at the timing marks
>(when cranking)
>- - checked the compression - 155-170 psi - not too bad a spread, but then
>the engine was rebuilt a few years ago
..
>The engine does not catch at all.... but, it backfired through the carb

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