i know nothing about this stuff but try to learn. i got a 72 olds 350 rocket. If i crank it over and give it gas it sounds like it starts, I let the key off and it immediately dies. all pulg wires are in order. so if it's timing do i have to mess with the engine or is it something i can do with the distributer?

 

Kinda hard to say without hearing it run. Will it stay running if you keep your foot on the gas? Or feather the throttle? Has it been a while since it's been started? If so it may have bad gas or a gunked up carb, I'd also check vacuum lines for any that are disconnected, cracked, or missing.

 

unless i just keep cranking the starter it dies, if i put my foot to the floor she revs but let go of the key and it dies. I bought it just to play with and mess around. i never had it run.
most of the guys that look at it say timing, so do i just need to ajust the distributer for that or do i gotta pull the engine apart for the timing?

 

no ignition to your coil in the ignition position, could be a bad contact on the ignition switch, easy test, turn the key to on, test the voltage on the + terminal of your coil. if there's no voltage then the problem is in the switch.

You can also try jumping 12V battery to the + on the coil and see if it stays running at that point.

 

ok the positive on the coil, it has the 3 wires? i tested both sides and got nothing with the key in the on position. i also craked it over and there must be a short too, the battery drains fast. haven't tried jumping it yet though, gotta find some wire.

 

positive will be the one that has a + marked on it, the negative has 1 wire that goes to the distributor.