I am Lost! But now I am found!

[dodj]

The dome light is on all the time regardless of the door being open or not.  I did try the dimmer switch with no luck.  Im going to work on getting it running before I worry about the light.  I did make some progress tonight.  I still have a ways to go though.  Ill keep hitting you up for help as I go along.  Thanks Guys!

Take the bulb out so you don't kill your battery at an inconvenient time.

[jordan]

I made a new ground cable and grounded it at my trans mount like Chryco mentioned.  I turned the key over and the starter just barely was able to turn the motor over.  Obviously it would not start.  I checked the voltage at the battery.  12.3.  So I thought that was good.  I was lost again.  If I have voltage to the starter,  why wouldn't it crank?  I changed my ground cables back.  Same issue.  Still lost.  Since the entire electrical system originates from the battery, I decided to have the battery tested even though it showed good voltage.  Sure enough, it failed the load test!!  My question is, will a bad battery mask running conditions like it has retarded timing, because it is not charged after starting the car initially?  It motor seemed real sluggish, and eventually backfired through the carbs and died.  I remember another car of my dying like that when my alternator failed on the road.  Anyway, I need to buy a new battery before I can start any more work.  I have decided to get the red cap restoration battery from Summit because it is only $230 shipped!!  It is the sealed AGM gel battery.  I think that will look nice in the trunk, but needs it to work too.   Let me know what you think.  J

[Bullitt-]

You seem to have a myriad of issues...a good battery hopefully will solve one.  Car needs a pretty good battery to start but they will run with only a battery with the stock system (1st hand experience) for quite some time
As for your timing consider making sure everything is right starting with Top Dead Center & the TDC mark on the harmonic balancer, this can be off for several reasons including a slipped balancer ring or timing chain. Start by making sure #1 piston is at TDC on the compression stroke & see where the mark is on balancer. If it's off make your own mark for reference.
Your distributor may need to be re-clocked if the timing chain is off or someone may have installed the drive gear between the cam & distributor off a few teeth(that can easily be corrected).
Once you can get a timing light to indicate your close(5-10 degrees BTC) use brother CPs method to set timing for best performance  http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=4430.msg33565#msg33565 

[jordan]

My new resto battery arrived and today I put it in.  Good start, but same poor retarded running condition.  I advanced the distributer as far as it would physically go and it fired up and ran sorta ok.  I checked the timing and it was about 6 degrees BTDC.  Not 15 degrees BTDC like it is supposed to be.   I did a bunch of double checking of #1 at TDC and the rotor pointing to #1 on the cap.  I called my engine builder.  He thought it was a grounding issue.  So I grounded the battery to the frame instead of the trans cross member and did another one from the head to the same frame rail about 2 ft apart.  Same issues.  I have a Rev-n-nator ignition and the car wouldn't fire with it in place.  It would with an orange box though.  So, I called Tony at R/T garage to ask what to do about the ignition, and told him I was having timing issues with it seeming retarded.  He asked if my engine builder dynoed it with and MSD.  He did.  Tony then suggested that my polarity at the distributer may be wrong and that is why the Rev-n-nator wouldn't run.  I made jumper wires and changed the distributor connection around.  The car fired right up and sounded very good actually!!  Finally!! ITS ALIVE!!!!  It smells rich at idle, but I haven't messed with the air mixture yet.  What to do now?  Swap the distributor connector and be done with it, or attempt to change the drive gear between the cam and distributor to get the distributor in the correct place?  I still haven't hooked up the Rev-n-nator to see if it works with the polarity changed.  I would have never figured this out without talking to Tony at R/T Garage. 
This has gotten me excited to get it on the road.  I need to finish up my grill, bumper, and valences tomorrow.  Get a windshield in it.  A front end alignment.  Figure out what other electrical issues I have. Get an interior installed (easy).  Tomorrow I may get a windows operating system lap top from a friend so I can load software to talk to my transmission control unit before I even put it in gear.  That doesn't seem too fun.  My goal is to get it to Mopars on the Mississippi in two weeks.  I need some luck for that!  I am so ready to drive this thing!!!

[dodj]

I would make your distributor connections permanent.
When you say get the distributor in the right place, is it rotated too far clockwise or counter clockwise for your liking?

[jordan]

to get the right amount of advancement, I need to turn the distributor clockwise, but the vacuum advance hits on my AC lines.  It needs to be rotated more clockwise, so it I really have to reset it counter clockwise to allow it to rotate clockwise more.  Does that make sense?  My engine builder marked the distributor and the block where it made its best power.  But that is with the polarity backwards.  If I change the distributor gear, I have to time it by feel, and not by dyno numbers.  Changing the wires seems easiest, but changing the gear seems most correct. 

[dodj]

If i remember right, the slot in the gear is supposed to point to the hole for the intake bolt closest to the front on the driver's side once seated. At #1 TDC.
How's yours pointing?