[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Are you getting fuel? Does the tailpipe smell like fuel after you've been trying to start the car for a while? If carbed, do you have fuel in the float bowls? If injected, are you getting fuel out of the injectors? (You can put them in jars and crank the starter with the spark disabled to see.) Are the plugs wet with fuel when you pull them out?

How about compression? Does the starter motor sound like it's cranking unevenly? Do you have a compression tester to check with?

The engine needs spark, air, and fuel to run. Make sure those are present. If they are, then the questions are the timing of the spark, and the quantity of the fuel.

It's sometimes possible to get the distributor in 180 degrees out. (Don't ask how I know this.) It shouldn't be, because the drive tang is offset, but sometimes it can be done. Or the plug wires can be in the wrong location. If you have spark and air and fuel, this is definitely something to double-check.

--DD