Also, does the long starter bolt thread in from the front of the trans into the starter ? The engine doesn't have threads bit the starter doea

Yes - it threads in from the front and then has a nut on the back side. There is also a battery cable bracket that goes on the front side. The bracket has some rubber isolators that go around the cables. I used silicon hose split down the side as isolators.

Also have not looked at the cranking amps for battery. One I use is just a deep cyle I had laying around, the other is from my camper. What does a 12a need for CCA?

Could it just be I need to buy a new high CCA battery? I've read on this forum that FB starters are pretty durable and rarely die

I don't know the group size, but they only require 550-600 CCA. I have a Optima red top that is overkill.

Of course the battery needs to be in good condition, but I used a $30 lawn and tractor battery in my race car for years without any problems. I think it was 220CCA. It was way lighter than the stock size (thinking group 24?). I am not recommending that you get such a small battery, just noting that you don't absolutely need to have a massive battery.

Carl

thanks guyys ill try a new battery, next would be a new starter then tear down the motor again

Update
 

Put my teuck battery to the startwr today and it spun the motor really good. Must have been just a weak battery needed morw CCA. 750 to be exact. Thanks for all your help. No tear down required

Got it to turn over...needed all new cables and good grounds. Tried to fire it today, no luck just blows smoke out the exhaust. Has spark. Does it matter which lead from coils goes to which connector on the dizzy? Both are black with yellow tracer.

Yes it does. The front is the trailing (T).

I set the timing before I installed the motor, my battery can't keep up. Can't push start it cause I don't have clutch working yet or wheels and brakes. Tried putting two steoke oil in cylinders. No luck. Any ideas that I'm missing?

Try some starting fluid just to see if it will start.

Would it act any different using gasoline?

Nope - it would be the same. Circle back on timing and spark plug routing. The little bit of smoke out the exhaust tells me it want to start but maybe the timing/spark order is off.

Got it to fire good on starting fluid, but won't on gas mix. Tried to upload video bit it won't let me

By the way not running off the tank but just pouring gasoline in the carburetor

That's progress. Congrats.

I'm not super familiar with the Nikki carb and if the float bowls can be filled from the top of the carb, but if they can it might help. My guess is that powering gas down the carb just washes away. It also dilutes the oil that way. Maybe gravity feed the carb? I know it's not the safest. If you do gravity feed, you'll still need the return line hooked up.

Is the tank in OK condition?

tank was has been cleaned and coated with a polymer. good to go ill try the gravity feed from a bottle

So I am confused. How have you been trying to fuel the carb? Just dumping gas down the throat of the carb? If so, it seems that would likely lead to flooding, followed immediately by no fuel. Gravity feed should work fine. If you want to get 2psi fuel pressure you can suspend the bottle about 6' above the carb. Also make sure that the fuel level is about correct in the carb bowls. I don't think you need the recycle line open, since that is really only there to accommodate varying fuel consumption smoothly under normal driving conditions. Just starting and idling the engine should not have any problems.

I once drove almost 200 miles in Baja California gravity feeding the carb on my VW bus. Found a gas tank at a wrecking yard after the fuel pump crapped out and hung it above the engine bay. Glad we survived :-)

Carl

yes just pouring fuel in the carb, im going to try gravity feed to see if it will run longer than 7 seconds

Of course, it can also still be beneficial to get the initial start with starter fluid even though you are gravity feeding the carb. Not unlike using starter fluid to get the engine started when the complete fuel system (pump, carb, etc) is hooked up and working (more or less anyway).

Carl

Update... car is running now just working out some fuel issues with the carborator

update
 

my sons and i have gotten the 84 GSL running again, we have two more heat cycles to do on the rebuilt motor and then we should be able to start driving it lightly. still working out some bugs with the motor, gauges and things. thinking of swithching the gauges out for aftermarket ones as the stock ones are subpar.

Drove the 7 for the first time today 5 miles, lots of blue smoke premix at 1 Oz per gallon. Need to adjust timing