When it first started missing and backfiring, was the check engine light flashing?

 

no it just came on and stayed on.

 

Does the starter sound normal while cranking? In other words, does the starter "fight" the engine while cranking, or does it turn over rythmically at the speed it normally turns?

 

yes when it tries to fire it will stop the starter from turning

 

Pull the ignition coil wire out of the distributor cap and crank the engine over with the starter. Does it sound normal?

If so: When was the distributor cap & rotor replaced last? How many miles on the cap & rotor? What brand? These things are very fussy when it comes to tune up parts, they really like AC Delco stuff, especially the distributor cap & rotor

 

it turns over fine with coil unhooked. It also has new ac delco cap and rotor.

 

when instaling dizzy if the mark on balancer line up does that mean no 1 cylinder is tdc? i dont have anyone to turn motor over to check for air coming out of plug hole. i installed once and it would not start i them turned crank one full turn reinstalled and it still wont run.

 

Make sure the cap is wired correctly, easy mistake to switch wires 1 & 3 on the cap:


If it's wired correctly, the distributor might be installed 180 degrees off. In other words, when the crank marks are aligned, #1 piston might be on TDC of the exhaust stroke instead of compression stroke.

 

The plug wires are correct. it started but sound like only one cylinder fires

 

Ok, gotta make sure the distributor is meshed correctly with the camshaft. When the marks on the dampener are lined up like in post #4, #1 piston is at TDC. The crankshaft turns 2 revolutions for each one revolution of the camshaft and distributor. So, #1 piston could be at TDC on its compression stroke or TDC on its exhaust stroke. The distributor MUST be installed when #1 piston is on TDC of compression stroke. You've got a 50/50 chance of getting it right, unless you remove the left rocker arm cover and check the rocker arms, (easier to just pull the distributor and rotate it 180 degrees).