BTW, right before she stopped running (and right before the sparks), she sounded like she was running on 2 or 3 cylinders with a real bad lope, and only ran with my foot on the gas. Guessing it's because that carb isn't tuned yet...

 

Just get a mechanic, you are out of your depth...

 

A car that doesn't start is at least easy to troubleshoot most of the time. If you suspect no spark, take a plug out and set it on the engine and look to see if it's sparking.

Man, you have got to get rid of those points and condensor. I would bet points and condensor means you have the original 40 year old distributor. I bet you can grab the rotor and wiggle it back and forth if you try which indicates worn out bushings. I am not a fan of points, and I would recommend a new quality pointless distributor assembly. MSD makes pretty good products.

 

If nothing else, at least start with an electronic "sparkie" like a 1st gen. Pertronix unit. Of course, with your now (not so good) history with wiring, you might seek assistance to install it. LOL
Good Luck!

 

The 'condenser' is an old name for electrolytic capacitor. It is supposed to suppress sparking at the points to extend their life.

The only way the condenser could stop the car from starting would be if the condenser were a dead short.
You can disconnect the condenser for testing. Probably not the issue though.

 

I won't get a mechanic, Jimmystang, because I prefer to make good use of my time figuring things out rather than wasting it making unhelpful smart-a$$ forum posts. To everyone else, thanks for the help...I think I'm really close to solving the problem...

 

Some rules of points from an old guy.

1 - If you leave the key on, you have a very good chance of burning a set of points
2 - When you change points always change the condenser
3 - It never hurts to put a set of points. They are cheap, and yearly isn't crazy
4 - Make sure you gap them properly and while on the high spot on the point cam. I prefer to loosen the distributor slightly and turn it to be exact.

I think you need a set of points and a condenser.

 

Gonna get a new set of points and condenser after work...I have accidentally left the key on a handful of times, so it's GOTTA be the points...(fingers crossed)

I'll report as soon as it's done...THANKS GUYS!!!

 

Hmm...I replaced the points and condenser, made sure everything was hooked up right, gapped the points at .018, and I'm not getting any spark at the plugs. I used a timing light to see if there was spark, and I am definitely getting spark at the coil. So somewhere between the coil and the plugs there is a problem...

 

Check the rotor and dist cap, Your missing the connection at that point.
Sometimes the center pole of the cap goes bad and a loss of spark or miss will occour.

 

Sixer,
Spark, compression, fuel. Sounds like you are on the right track. I have $5 you will get it running this weekend.

 

new cap, new rotor, new wires...still no spark from distributor to plugs. Arrgh!

 

OK, Try this:
Remove the coil wire from the cap and insert a paper clip in that end. Position the paper clip near a metal part but not quite touching the metal. With the cap removed and the points in the closed position (between cam points), turn the ignition on but not to start. Using a non metallic stick (Popsicle) comes to mind, pry open the points. At the moment you open the points, you should get a nice strong "snap" from the tip of the paper clip, as the spark goes to ground.
This is a simple test and verifies your primary system is operational. This, also, verifies spark going into the cap. Now, this means the problem has to be with the center of the rotor not receiving the voltage spike to deliver to it's relevant cap plug position. Perhaps the rotor is wrong for the cap?
Anyone else?

 

did you hook up the ground strap to the points plate

 

See if you got +12v to one side of the coil with the points open and the key on? If not thats a place to start.

Jeff

 

looks like she is getting spark to the plugs...but I pulled them and every single one is fouled! They're all damp, black and reek like gasoline. And to think they were brand new a couple weeks ago...perhaps I fixed the original problem with the ignition but now it won't start because of the fouled plugs. Back to Autozone tomorrow...

 

You can burn off the fouling with a propane torch, if ya got one.
Line the plugs up on something non-flammable and heat the electrodes up, watch the carbon burn right off of them. Vern

 

Keep going Sixer, I have big money on you. Spend the few bucks and get a new set of plugs. Before you reinstall them, make sure you are getting spark to the wire by holding next to ground and cranking. Spark, fuel, compression.

 

I'm gonna wait until I get the new gas tank and fuel line before I put in the new plugs or try anything else. If there's gunk in the line I don't want to force it any more through the system. The moment of truth awaits...hopefully Monday!

 

Hi Bud,

Out of curiosity, have you disconnected the line from the carb and cranking the engine pumped fuel into a bucket to check the cleanliness of it, or, lack there of?

 

Now I've realized there's gas in my oil and it's thin enough to drip off the end of the dipstick. Also have a decent sized leak that I hope is from a bad (made out of 2 thin metal washers) oil drain plug gasket. This is all since I bought the car a few weeks ago. Would it be a bad idea to get the car running ok before I change the oil again? Or should I change the oil before I try to crank the engine?

 

Change the oil or you may be rebuilding the engine. Oil is not something you roll the dice with.

 

IT'S ALIIIIIVE!!! Here's how I did it - for good measure, replaced the starter solenoid, the ground from the solenoid to the starter, and both battery cables. Then I removed the rubber fuel hose that goes between the metal tank-to-pump line and the fuel pump. Got 5 ft of fuel hose at Autozone and ran it directly from a gallon gas container to the fuel pump. Took a minute to start her up, and I had to hold the choke open with a screwdriver to get rid of the previously flooded engine. Finally I adjusted the carb and she was running better than ever before. After all this, I'm pretty sure there's something rotten between the fuel pump and fuel tank. Already ordered the tank and fuel line last week; once it gets here she'll be back on the road!!! THANKS FELLAS!

 

Great news, get that tank in, change the fuel filter and get her on the road!

 

Could be the filter on the sender unit in the tank

 

I realized I needed a new tank when I removed the sending unit about a week ago and it was all rusted. I figured if the sending unit looked that bad, the tank must be pretty nasty too. I bought and installed a new sending unit in the nasty tank but I'm still waiting on the new one so I can switch it out. I think there's some gunk in the tank-to-pump line because the new sending unit should be have been able to filter the rust out of the gas that's in the tank but it still ran badly until I bypassed the tank-to-pump line, so there must be something nasty there...

 

Good news!
......I'll add ....blow out the fuel line between the pump and tank connection, as well.
Happy Motoring!

 

Don't forget to change the oil and filter, as indicated above. ASAP.

 

Congrats on the problem solving -- sounds like you've got it. Isn't it a nice feeling to solve it without a professional garage? I've had bad gas before - it's not fun. (I mean the engine kind...)
New tank, lines, and you've taken care of the eggnition -- you're set. DRIVE!!!!