273 Engine will not start - Ideas?
I am just wondering what changed? It ran good, it sat, now it won't start.
Easy, IF IN FACT the points are working, then the gas from all the cranking, has washed the oil off the cylinder-walls and ring-lands, everything is dry, and there's not enough cylinder pressure to lite it off. Maybe even, the lifters have bled down. Maybe even the valves have seized in the guides.
However; on any SBM running a silent timing chain, you can never rule out a jumped timing chain, that often happens at shut down or during a hard start.
To the OP
so check your timing chain slack first, and if it seems excessive, then verify that your rotor is still pointing to the correct cylinder. If it is, then proceed;
Just put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder and let sit for an hour, then turn the engine over slowly by hand, looking for a point if stiction, which could be a stuck valve hitting a piston, one turn, but don't power thru such a stiction. then if all is well, do it again.
Charge the battery. Fill the float bowl thru the vent. Block the choke open.
After another hour, pump the excess oil out of the cylinders by cranking it over a few revolutions. This will make a mess so do what you can, it's gotta come out. Finally put the plugs back in,
then; put a teaspoon of fresh gas down each primary bore, no more. Right after that, jump in, floor it, and Holding the carb wide open, twist the key, and keep cranking until it catches.
Except if you hear the tell-tale chicken-clucking sounds of valves hitting pistons then STOP.
During all this cranking, do not close the throttle, just hold it WOT. Do not stop cranking for at least 30>40 seconds, even as she is trying to sputter to life, just keep on cranking. You can't hurt a Dodge starter just keep on cranking, until she is truly running. As soon as she is in fact running, start bringing the Rs down slowly, keeping it at a high idle until the smoke clears, then try idling it.
Then hook the choke back up and verify that it works properly.
As to the chicken-clucking sounds; if you hear them, it's too late, the intakes are bent. Do a compression test just to verify, then pull the heads off.
BTW, you can't miss this sound. it the sound of money coming out of your wallet. It is unmistakable. The more clucks per second, the more more money is wafting on the wind.. It's almost never less than two; one on each bank. If you have more than two intake valves bent chances are slim that she will run, cuz the cylinders are pumping air back into the intake, upsetting the plenum, big time.