Reply to "Engine Cutting Out"

I disconnected the fuel line on the outlet side of the fuel filter and turned the key forward (electric fuel pump). Gas was flowing out like a water fountain, so the pump and filter are not clogged. I had someone crank it as I manually blipped the throttle from the carb and watched fuel squirting in the primaries while it VROOOOOMED and died. That tells me it's not likely a fuel issue.

Then I thought the pin in the distributor gear could have broken, so I moved the dist both back and forth quite a bit in small increments. No change. When the timing got too far retarded, it backfired while cranking. When it was too far advanced, it cranked in fast spurts (RRR RRR RRR), like when the timing is too far advanced. The first time I advanced it, it started and purred, so I grabbed the dist and slowly brought it back to the original setting and the motor cut off. When I re-advanced it to where the motor started, it did not restart again.

At several points in all this cranking, I removed a spark plug wire and watched and orangish-blue spark flicking away through the VROOOOOM and cut off. The spark was always going, even when I would just hold the starter on and let it crank.

It's a vacuum secondary carb, but I don't think that matters.

So I have spark, I have fuel, and I have air. What's missing?

Michael