[RustyPile]

Well, for starters (no pun intended), you've got a hodge-podge of parts on that engine.. An intake manifold that's not intended for the engine it's on. It's possible you have some port mismatching going on there that could result in vacuum leaks.. A 2 barrel Holley that wasn't intended for that engine or manifold either. I assume some sort of adaptor was needed to make the carburetor fit that manifold. Again, this could be the source of vacuum leaks.. Regardless of what "the manual says" the vacuum for the vacuum advance mechanism should be from an intake source, not ported from the carburetor.. All this means that you'll have some issues and compromises to deal with..

Now let's get to the cause of the hard/no start condition.. Three items have to be present in the properly metered amounts.. Air, fuel and spark.. I call the following procedure the 4 whys.

Does it have spark, and does it have it at the correct time? A timing light will answer these questions.. Do this check while the engine is in "no start mode".. Connect the timing light and, while cranking the engine, point the light at the timing tab and check for spark.. If it has spark, does it occur at the proper time.. Adjust as needed.

If no spark is present, diagnose the ignition system as to why.. I won't go into the procedure here as it's a lengthy type.. Search for "diagnosing HEI issues"...

If spark is present as it should be, remove the air cleaner and while looking down the throat of the carburetor, move the throttle and check for gas spray from the accelerator pump. If spray is noted, the carburetor, even though it is "new", debris could have possibly found it's way into the metering passages. Rebuild/clean as necessary.

If no spray is noted, disconnect the fuel line at the carburetor and disable the ignition system. Using a suitable hose connected to the fuel line, and a suitable container, crank thee engine over.. Within a matter of 3 - 4 seconds, the fuel pump should pump out 8 - 10 ounces of fuel.. If fuel delivery is satisfactory, check for an obstruction between the carburetor and fuel pump including any fuel filters.

Suspect faulty fuel pump or obstruction between fuel pump and tank. If no obstructions are found, suspect faulty fuel pump..

Skipping any of the steps or assuming items to be good without checking, can lead to a wrong diagnosis.. As I stated in the beginning, this hodge-podge of mismatched parts, even though all items check good, could be the cause of the engine's "pickiness" in starting..