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I thought those of you who followed this saga might want the final word.
- especially for those of you who have no formal mechanical training (like me) and have a very "un-even" mechanical skill-set (also like me).
Today I switched my distributor gear to the "correct" location, put my allison/crane distributor back on, ordered my wires in a proper fashion, and set my timing with a timing light. The engine now starts and runs like a top.
I've still got no idea what happened back in early December to kill my running condition, but my ignition issue is now COMPLETELY fixed.
It boils down to this - my lack of mechanical knowledge in determining #1 TDC and the lack of clarity in the so-called "bible" tech articles.
#1 will come to TDC with both intake and exhaust valves closed and the timing mark at 16 BTDC more than once. NONE of the articles out there are especially clear on which is the correct TDC. Since the timing marks line up at least **twice** along with the #1 piston being at the top, and if you've removed your distributor gear, you quickly loose an easy reference for what "correct" in.
A conversation with a skilled co-worker *finally* gave me the answer that I was asking for earlier in this thread. I did not have the correct #1 TDC. Yes, it's pretty intuitive when you think about it....
The correct TDC is when the intake has opened and closed (letting air/fuel in), and the piston has cycled down and come back up (thus making the compression needed for ignition) and the exhaust have not yet opened. The timing marks also line up again on this stroke.
That's it. I had my gear 180 degrees out because I did not have my #1 plug spark set for the compression stroke of #1 cylinder.
Aside from the large number of variables in the process, and all the other problems that I introduced and solved along the way, the *biggest* problem was being able to efficiently crank the engine manually in the proper direction.
The dang thing just does not like to crank in the normal running direction (but does fine cranking backwards). The "Mechanics" trick to help here (also a tip from my friend at work) is to loosen (or remove) all your spark plugs. Then there is no compression to fight against your manual cranking and things turn quite easy in the proper direction.
So, finally being set straight, it's unlikely I'll ever need help with this same problem again.
Thanks to all of you who repeatedly offered me suggestions and help.
I'd be taking a cab to work without your help.
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