Ok kids, here's what's happening: I bought a big honkin' Optima battery. I discovered my grounds and battery connections were dirty so I cleaned them up. That got the starter to engage. Hooked up the alternator belt and the little wire for the "discharge" light on the dash. Oil, coolant, etc. By now, it was getting dark, so I didn't fool with it for long. The engine squeaks. It's -bone dry-. I did my best to get the timing as close as I could, but the car didn't start. It tried once or twice. I had a helper crank the engine, and I felt it puff a feeble sort of back fire a couple of times. I think it's the timing. I feel very confident that I set the chains, pistons, and valves correctly. I rotated the engine by hand, and nothing was interfering. The distributor though... Here's what I did: Set piston 1 at TDC. Then I set the rotor in the distributor in line with electrode #1 in distro cap. I then installed the distributor and put the cap on, making sure they were still in line. Hm...TDC? It's supposed to be 13 degrees -before- TDC, right? Am I an entire gear tooth off, or can I adjust 13 degrees with the swing in the distributor? The really good news? The engine isn't pukeing any fluids. Come on guys, I'm close. Help me out, I want to go to Pigeon Forge! Rich #5335