'69 LTD 390 Won't Start

[Fortunateson]

I have my Dad's LTD which he ordered mainly for towing our 22' trailer. I've been saving this for a long time and have acquired a number of smaller nos trim and a Ford stamped NOS 1/4 panel for a sedan.

Anyway I rebuilt the carb after a small backfire and replaced the plugs, points , condenser, and coil. Engine cranks over but won't catch. I haven't found a ballast resistor that I might replace. A friend said they didn't use a traditional restor but a resistor wire from the ignition switch. True? Any other ideas to get the engine running? I didn't remove the distributor so that can't be the problem.

After I get it going I'll remove the gas tank and get it cleaned out as well as going over the brake system. From there body work and beyond...

 

[craig]

If it has a lot of miles on it, maybe the timing chain jumped when it back fired. It's doubtful the resistance wire has gone bad, when the starter is cranking, the solenoid bypasses the resistance circuit anyway. I would put your original condenser back in, the new Chinese one you bought is probably no good

 

[5851a]

Check for power at the coil, Spark at the plugs?

 

[dmsfrr]

Is there fuel to the carburetor? Does it squirt when the throttle linkage is moved?
Have you connected a Dwell meter to the distributor to set the points?
If you haven't moved the distributor, does the rotor position for cyl #1 still line up with the crank pulley timing marks? Have you hooked up a timing light to it?
.

 

[Fortunateson]

Well I've done a lot of those diagnostics but in the next few weeks I'll start over. I'm just dribbling some gas into the carb just to see if it catches. I want to remove the gas tank to have it cleaned out before I try running off that. I'll go back at look for power at the coil and spark at the plugs. If I recall correctly the #1 cylinder and the timing mark were ok.

Actually now that I think about it there was no spark when grounding th plugs on the block. Any comments on that?

 

[dmsfrr]

... Actually now that I think about it there was no spark when grounding th plugs on the block. Any comments on that?

Check for power to the coil, both when cranking and with the key in the on/run position.
The earlier distributors have a ground wire for the points, chances are fairly good yours should have one too.

 

[rotorwrench]

The internal distributor wires can get damaged over time. The coil should have power at the pos terminal with key on as mentioned. The coil should pop a spark from the secondary tower every time the points open. No.1 spark plug should spark at each firing stroke. If you know someone with a boat type fuel tank, you can use that to do a test run if the carb isn't crudded up with stuck floats and the like. The engine should have compression on all 8. If the valve timing is gone due to a bad timing chain, there should be evidence of that on a compression check. A person can pull the right side valve cover and check valve timing on No.1 while turning the engine through. Valves can stick after a long slumber but they will show up on compression test too.

 

[dmsfrr]

I have my Dad's LTD ... I've been saving this for a long time . . .

How long has it been sitting since it ran last? How many miles on it? Has it ever had any major engine work?
(I mistakenly assumed it was running recently.)

As rotorwrench suggested, a compression test can answer a few important 'what should I do next' questions. Squirt a little oil down all the spark plug holes before you do that test.
.