Urgent 308 Timing Help In Brisbane

[308commodore]

Hi guys,
I've got a vk calais with a 308 I've just rerbuilt. My problem is that i can't get it to fire.:b: I've built plenty of holden sixes before but not a v8. I have done everything by the book.
It's a standard bore blue 308 with a little cam, straight cut timing gears, 600 holley and electronic distributer.
I made sure the motor was at top dead centre before i put the distributer in with the rotor button facing the number 1 cylinder. When i had the instructions for the gear drive they said to line up the gears dot to dot. done that.
I have even thought that it was 180 degrees out so i changed all the leads on the cap 180 degrees around.
Still no go. I am at my wits end with this problem. So i'm just wonderin if there was anybody in the Brisbane area who could come to my place to check if i have done everything right.
I'LL SHOUT A CARTON OF PISS OR A BOTTLE OF SPIRITS TO WHOEVER CAN HELP ME GET IT GOING.
I've got the car sold allready but the buyer wants to hear it run before he hands over the dollars.
SO IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO KNOWS WHAT THERE TALKING ABOUT AND CAN SPARE A LITTLE BIT OF THERE TIME IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
I CAN EITHER BE CONTACTED BY P.M. ME OR BY PHONE ON 0433383653 OR 0423478268 AND ASK FOR RAY.
THANKS FOR LOOKING...
CHEERS RAY...
GO THE ALLMIGHTY HOLDEN 308 ( if it will bloody run )

[Tree cutter]

Have you pulled a lead off to see if you have any spark at all. You may have left a wire off going to the coil or dizzy.

[Goon]

If you have a digital multimeter you could check out some of your wiring.

[308commodore]

Thanks for the quick replies. Yes i have spark at the leads and i i haven't got a digital multimeter.
When i have tried to fire it up iu might get a pop through the carby. I might be wrong but i thought that comes from the timing.
I even thought it have something to do with the standard old harmonic balancer so i have bought a new Powerbond harmonic balancer.
Cheers though...
GO THE ALLMIGHTY HOLDEN 308 ( if it will bloodt run )

[Tree cutter]

Does sound like a timing problem. I would double check that you have got the leads in the correct order the later 5 litre which are 304 have a different firing order than the early 5litre 308. Not sure which manual you have it is possible that you are timing it as a 304.

[308commodore]

Hey Treecutter,
I'm going off the lead setup off the manifold for the firing order. 12784563. The manuel i had was to suit the vk commodore. The motor was running in my vc burnout commodore but in sad condition prior to rebuild. The motor was kindly donated by a wb statesman. I wish it was a 304 with fuel injection.lol.
Thanks anyway...
GO THE ALLMIGHTY HOLDEN 308 ( if the bloody thing would run )

[burnz]

Hi guys,
I've got a vk calais with a 308 I've just rerbuilt. My problem is that i can't get it to fire.:b: I've built plenty of holden sixes before but not a v8. I have done everything by the book.
It's a standard bore blue 308 with a little cam, straight cut timing gears, 600 holley and electronic distributer.
I made sure the motor was at top dead centre before i put the distributer in with the rotor button facing the number 1 cylinder. When i had the instructions for the gear drive they said to line up the gears dot to dot. done that.
I have even thought that it was 180 degrees out so i changed all the leads on the cap 180 degrees around.
Still no go. I am at my wits end with this problem. So i'm just wonderin if there was anybody in the Brisbane area who could come to my place to check if i have done everything right.
I'LL SHOUT A CARTON OF PISS OR A BOTTLE OF SPIRITS TO WHOEVER CAN HELP ME GET IT GOING.
I've got the car sold allready but the buyer wants to hear it run before he hands over the dollars.
SO IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO KNOWS WHAT THERE TALKING ABOUT AND CAN SPARE A LITTLE BIT OF THERE TIME IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
I CAN EITHER BE CONTACTED BY P.M. ME OR BY PHONE ON 0433383653 OR 0423478268 AND ASK FOR RAY.
THANKS FOR LOOKING...
CHEERS RAY...
GO THE ALLMIGHTY HOLDEN 308 ( if it will bloody run )

from memory the cam is 12links adv you should have two bright link's
in the chain that go dot to dot NOT the cam/crank

[burnz]

Does sound like a timing problem. I would double check that you have got the leads in the correct order the later 5 litre which are 304 have a different firing order than the early 5litre 308. Not sure which manual you have it is possible that you are timing it as a 304.

the motor hasent changed 308/304 same firing order
form the 60's to 01's
12784563

[308commodore]

Hey Burnz,
it's a gear drive not chain driven,
cheers though
GO THE ALLMIGHTY HOLDEN 308 ( if the bloody thing would run )

[Tree cutter]

Only other thing i can think of is ignition module could have got zapped somehow. Have heard of six cyl vks with timing moving all over the place because of ignition modules being faulty.

[253@7k]

What brand is the dizzy?

[burnz]

rotate crank 10deg btc use leed closest to rotor button with a spark plug
resting on engine block rotate dizzy till you see it fire,(this will set static timing)
make that #1 and do the rest in correct fireing order clockwise
crank motor if backfireing opose leeds 180deg and try again

[9C1pack]

I don't know if this is any help, but Many years ago a mate rebuilt my 253.
When the time came to fire it up, it would not start, it would pop out the carb a bit and sort of attempt to fire but would not run. We even tried tow starting it and it still would not run. It turned out that the Gregorys manual we used (Hk -G Holden V8) had instructions for setting up Holden V8 and Chev V8 as both where fitted to HK-G.
My mate must have flicked throught the book and found the cam timing page and set it up as per the Chev instructions. We removed the timing chest, set it up to the Holden instructions, reassembled it and it fired first turn of the key!
Luckily no bent valves.