Yes, i was using the front sylinder on the passenger side as number one. What i understand from the chilton and the shop manual this is the right ting. I have borowed a carburator from a friend, but that carburator was also a leaking mistake.

Where are you located? Chuck in NH

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Looks like most of its correct, lash can be .018/019. As chuck says make sure #1 cyl is nearest the oil filler tube and firing order on dist is anti clockwise, i would set #1 cyl 6-10 deg BTDC and rotate dist with ign on till you see points spark, can just use test lite, all this just puts you in the ballpark and there are other variations but this should do.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

Those 3 bolt, 2 barrel Ford carbs are holley derivatives. Actually, they are just fine, I used one on my Y block daily driver for several years back when I was 16 (this was in the early 90's). plenty good for a 272, and not too difficult to tear apart, rebuild, and make serviceable. Just make sure that you have no vacuum leaks - ala the throttle shaft could be worn.

Is your distributor original to the engine? in 1957, Ford changed the distributors so that the advance would be vacuum and mechanical. Prior to that, the distributor was called a "load-a-matic" and ran from a signa from the intended carb only! Mismatches are not a good thing.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

Hello and welcome. A new rebuild that will not fire is very frustrating and a disappointment.

Lets start at the very beginning. ALL ENGINES from Y blocks to HONDAS need the same things to start. 1 is FUEL. 2 is IGNITION. 3 is COMPRESSION. If you do not have ALL THREE your engine will NEVER START. PERIOD. NEVER.

Do a compression check. If the cam or valve timing is incorrect you will not have compression. Minimum is about 75 PSI. That would be very low.

To check for fuel (FIRST FIX THAT FUEL LEAK, you do not want to burn up your car) try spraying some starting fluid into the intake manifold. If you have compression and a spark AT THE RIGHT TIME the engine will fire.

Ignition. Check for a spark at the points and at the spark plug and AT THE RIGHT TIME. NUMBER ONE CYLINDER at top dead center AND BOTH VALVES CLOSED. Close will fire the engine.

It is that easy and that hard. Do not assume ANYTHING. CHECK EVERYTHING.

GOOD LUCK and fix that fuel leak. Pete

Is this your first Y-Block? I guess you do know that Ford's cylinder numbering is different than GM. Are you getting fuel to the carb? It should squirt when you open the throttle. Do you have spark at all? Pull the coil wire out of the distributor and crank a little with the end of the coil wire laying about 1/4" from something metal. It should pop a fat spark. How much have you cranked it. It may be flooded. If so, take the plugs out and put a flame on the tips. What all did you have apart when you rebuilt it. It is a good idea to suspect everything you had apart.

Kenneth

Fredricksburg, Texas

I dont know if my dist is the original one, i can post a picture under here of the block during disasembly when you se a little bit of the dist. To go some years back in time, when my dad had the car. He drive the car into the garasje to rebuild the stering box, to do this he have to remove the stering coloum. To do that, he also needed to cut of the wire that is conected to the stering coloum. After he had rebuild the stering box and inserted in the gar again, the car got standing still about 14 years before he tried to start the engine. This was before i rebuild the egnine. When he tried to start it at that time, nothing happened. It was the same problem like it is today. My dad give upp the car and the car was now standing still about 5 more years. And now it was my turn to try. But the egnine was in bad shape, the piston rings have rusted to the sylinder, this was why i rebuild the egnine. So, the starting problem have eksisted before the engine was rebuilded. Like i said, the only thing my dad do to the car before i tried to start at that time was to cut the wire on the stering coloum. he also changed the rotor and the dist cap, but the dist was not tuched. When he put the wire together on the stering coloum again he make the color match each other. I dont know if this is the right thing, but he ment that that was the right ting. I have never found a wiring diagram if this wiring. Do any body think this might be the problem ? From what i have readed the car needed to stand in N when you gonna start it. Today i removed the dist to control that the shaft from the oil pump still was there, and it was. I was wondering, can you insert the oil filter the wrong way ? When i assembled the filter i did not se any direction on the filter. Also, when the outlet tube on the rocker shaft is at your right hand when you looking stright down on it, it should be right ? The hole on rocker that the oil comes true will given it self when you have placed the tube on rockers ? I mena the hole at the bottom of the rockers shaft, the hole that is facing down on the heads. I am living in norway, so it would be a little trip to come here to help me

I suspected that you were not in the US.  Is your car right hand drive.  If so, there may be some confusion about "driver" and "passenger" side.  #1 cylinder is the front one on the right side of the engine as viewed from the driver's seat.

The wires at the steering column are for the neutral safety switch and backup lights.  If the engine cranks with the key and the shifter in neutral, then those wires are not the problem.  So it's back to the basics as suggested in the above posts.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Sorry if this was mentioned already but are you certain that you have the cam timed correctly? Timing marks on a Y-Block are different than any other V-8 I have ever seen and it is easy to get wrong. Make sure both valve are closed when #1 is a TDC (power stroke).

Good luck to ya...

BOB

The cam is timed corectly, the sylinder one is at tdc and both valves are closed. I guess i just have to go true the basics again, but since the problem is old, my guess would be that it is in one of the old ignition section. Anyway, thank you all for good advise. I will try everything you have sugested, and i will ask if it is someting more i have in my mind