Ignition Madness! HEATHEN? Squirrel? HELP!

I AM LOSING MY MIND (and getting a parking ticket today)

'52 Chevy 235/3spd (I swear it's not a 216). The car ran A-OK until the latest tune-up when I decided to adjust the valve lash. Got the engine nice and hot and adjusted 1,2,3,5,7, & 9 to .006" intake and .012" exhaust with the rotor pointing at #1 and the timing "BB" lined up with the pointer. Bumped it around 360 degrees, adjusted 12,11,10,8,6, & 4. ****oned everything up... and now the thing won't start. The ONLY way I can get it to stay "running" is to turn the distributor counter-clockwise AS FAR AS IT WILL GO (advanced?) while keeping the throttle wide open and then it jerks, coughs, and spits gas out of the top of the carb. The moment I let go of the carb or move the distributor it dies.

THE FACTS:

1. Nice fat spark at the plugs (points/rotor/condenser are new)
2. Plenty of gas jetting in the 2bbl
3. I have not pulled ANY of the plug wires from the cap, only from the engine and I labeled everybody with tape first, so there is NO WAY the wires are wrong.
4. Distributor cap looks fine (I even filed the contacts a little to make sure)
5. I double checked that the rotor was pointing at #1 with my thumb in the #1 plug hole(compression stroke), it also blew my thumb out 180 degrees later.

H-E-L-P!!! What totally stupid thing am I missing here???

Thanks HAMB brothers and sisters!

-ns

 

If it was an SBC, I'd have to wonder if it was 180 degrees out at the distributor. By the timing you are relating here, it doesn't sound like it was possible that a valve was being mis-set.

 

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>>> it also blew my thumb out 180 degrees later.>>... ????????

Double ck the rotor. Did you reset dwell after filing the points? Then chain/ gear ??

 

No chain to worry about, just constant mesh gears. If I understand you correctly, you never removed the distributor from the engine, or the wires from the cap. For the time being, forget where the rotor points; just bump the engine around with the starter or by turning the fan by hand, and watch the rocker arms. Do they ever get excessively slack on the valves, like they would if you adjusted them to have clearance when they were not on the heel of the cam? On the other hand, are any overtightened to the point that the valve never actually closes completely?

 

I know this sounds stupid, but you didn't manage to clip the cap back on the distributor 180 degress out, did you?

 

Sounds like someone went tighten crazy on the rockers.

 

Nah, the way I'm running my plug wires wouldn't allow that to happen. The valve adjustment theory could be the problem... what should I do now? Is there a median adjustment to at least get this thing idling again? Maybe I can just eyeball it...

Is it possible I jumped a tooth on my timing gear set? Please say NO!

Thanks again guys

-ns

 

It's a simple matter to remove the side cover on a 235. Take it off, and turn the engine over, watching the lifters. As each lifter bottoms out on its travel, check the corresponding rocker arm for clearance. I'm betting that at least some of them won't have any.

 

You know, I just thought about you saying it's a '52 235. Most of the early Powerglide engines I've seen have hydraulic lifters.

 

I know it sounds weird, but I bought the car from an old guy that said it was the original motor(odometer was reading 78,000 and still works). It is a 235 according to the numbers I ran and the fact that the push rod inspection plate is below the spark plugs. It also has a three speed and there's no evidence that it ever had a Powerglide. Maybe the car came out of the factory at the end of '52/beginning of '53? Either way, I need to get this thing idling so I can get my timing straight.

-ns

 

I think heathen is on to something-powerglide cars were hydraulic lifter engines. You are adjusting the lifters as if they were solids, right? Would be real easy to pull a lifter out and see what you have.

 

Yes, the low style lifter cover ***ures that it's not a 216. There should be a casting date code on the p***enger side of the block, below the lifter area, back near the starter. It will look something like C 4 3. What is it?

 

Gotta get that to ya later, I'm at work! I guess I'll be pulling a lifter out tomorrow and get to the bottom of this quagmire!

-ns

 

Before you go too exteme here, just take the valve cover off and try to check the valve clearance the old slow way. doing one at a time. for example, when the exhaust valve is open all the way, set that intake, when the intake is open all the way, set the exhaust. and move on down the line. Take out the plugs to make it easy to roll the engine with the fan.

Sounds like tight valves.

Even if you got hyd lifters, and you set up clearance in them, at least you will get it running. Remember the old ISKY super hyd's? we used to set them at .0015. so they would act like a solid lifter.

Frank