70 C10 resto-mod (was Chevy culture shock)

You may try bumping the starter by applying 12V to the solenoid instead of the large connector(~3 amps apposed to 500+ amps for the starter lead directly). You can use a small wire instead of clunky jumper cables since it carries very little current.
and a useful skill for some other pesky situations. Trying to remember things I did 30+ years ago isn't really working, I may just have to start thinking again
 
I tried the meter, but couldn't get sane results, must have been bridging contacts with my probes.

It has to be an analog meter. A digital meter won't work. Having test leads with alligator clips rather than probe tips helps.
 
I used to use an old screwdriver to bridge the starter solenoid terminal to the B+ terminal. But then, it was a GM product so everything was right there by the firewall. ;) For a more civilized approach, I wired up a 6' cable with a N.O. push button switch and alligator clip on the other end.
 
Turns out, there is no standard for how you clock your distributor on SBC 350's. Important to know before you rip out all the plug wires ;-)
ahh yes there is. doesn't mean diy'rs are on target

points dist: if you have the original matching dist and intake there is a stake mark on both. if the dwell is set correctly, the dist set in correctly, the marks lined up correctly you don't have to set the timing. it is factory correct

quick way to set the dwell without pesky feeler gauges or a meter. start the engine, slowly turn the point screw in until the eng quits, back out 1/2 turn done

in my younger dealership days i was known to, after a valve job or such, fill the coolant up to the t/stat without the t/stat in, t/stat in then top off, set the dist as described, shut the hood, fire up and park. baffled many. at times someone checked my work but never found a fault.
 
borrowed a tool, reclocked my dizzy, she starts and runs fine. Dwell angle is large, but she dies when I touch the points adjuster screw. Gave up for the night since I started late after a long day. Will go back at the points tomorrow night.
I left the points screws loose for adjustment, so first guess is I screwed that up. Might even be that I grounded out the Allen against the top of the engine. Either way, it's a partial win.
Neighbor also loaned me a shopmade tool for aligning the oil pump that works pretty slick. I'll tack on pics once I'm "hydrated"
 
The bump to #1 is to align the oil pump drive, a screw driver works to....
 
I could have just spun it until the dizzy dropped in, sure, but this was pretty sweet, AND you could also use it to pump oil through a motor on the stand or sum'n
 

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I tried the meter, but couldn't get sane results, must have been bridging contacts with my probes.
Part of the problem working back there is that my eyesight ain't great. I had better luck using my phone to zoom in so I could see that there was a gap.
Working alone on these things is a pita too. Tried to jerry rig a setup with jumper cables so I could bump the starter, but mine were way too fat to be practical. I'll probably pick up one of those bump switch thingies when I get a set of SAE wrenches.
Had good success that way on motorcycle tuning, but never had any luck with cars. I use an analog meter, more onstinate about my Simpson 260-5 than what I wear. Sheet metal rust and bad paint have been around as long as automobiles have been made out of metal rather than wood. My first car was a 1960 Vauxhall station wagon, ca. 1965. A tiny 4 cyl about 1.4 L. It was rusted out to the point I had a friend (Pop's friend) weld in 2x6 channel irons for the rear suspension. The body was painted with bondo over auto paint over house paint over auto paint over rust repairs. My first flivver. . . But it ran, sorta, and got me from place to place, eventually. My current ride is a '68 Chev C-30 dump truck. The 283 is as sound as when it was new, the cab is held together with duct tape. What it comes down to is where it is used and how it was stored. In snow country, there still isn't anything suitable for the roads. Salt and calcium chloride will kill a car long before it wears out. Ocean spray is just as bad in tropical areas.

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The clippy thingies to hold the dizzy cap on are....quaint, but they are captive fasteners, so not awful
The trap door covering the points adjuster is pretty slick, and since I live in a state with no appreciable weather I don't worry about humidity affecting the electronics
 
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rebuilt the leaky Quadrajet and literally the first thing I touched; the cast boss for the accelerator pump pivot just fell off. Probably was hanging on the roll pin for decades. JB Weld fix failed, so I was going to tap it and put in a screw, but I found this pin, which is slick and looks cleaner
 
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