so its a 1960 el camino, 348 cubic inch V8, manual trans.

what could be reasons for this?
ps: it has new spark plugs, charged battery, and fuel. could a carb be the issue?

 

Check ur spark plug gap, check ur spark plug wires to see if you got spark.
Also Check to see if you got fuel going to the carb

 

yep check the basics, spark, fuel, compression

 

check the points in the distributor

 

Is fuel fresh? Like, really fresh? You don't want old fuel in the fuel line or float bowl...

External fuel filter clean and clear? Carb filter clean? I had a little Luv truck that had so much gunk in the lines, I went through 3 or 4 fuel filters before I got enough fuel to flow. I mean, the engine would try to run, just not very long or very well.

Actuate the butterflies, see if squirters pump fuel down the throat. If no, check to see if fuel is reaching carb.

Pull a plug, touch it to something metal, turn the engine over, see if you have spark.

If yes, spray a little engine starting fluid into the carb.

If it starts, then you have a fuel delivery problem.

If no spark, then you have some sort of ignition issue.

Good luck!

 

Hi JCSkokos,

Welcome to the Chevy forums.

Did you replace the points AND condenser?

Just because it has no moving parts doesn't mean it's not important.

The dielectric coating in the condenser tends to degrade after a few years of heat and vibration, leaving you with a poor, weak spark.(or bad "dwell", if you will)

It's a four dollar part that causes a world of grief because it's largely ignored.

 

fuel seems to be the problem, I took apart the carb and cleaned it, replaced the filters (all 3 of them) and it worked a little better. then I took down the fuel tank and cleaned it out and replaced the disintegrated filter in there.
it seems to run fine for a while but starting yesterday it would idle, but hiss and stall when throttle was applied, which Im hoping is due to low gas levels.

now I just need to figure out how to adjust the screws properly on the carb

 

Make sure to count the turns when you change the screws, so you can take it back to where you started from.

Adjusting the screws won't affect your gas level.

You gotta make sure you have enough gas in the bowl to maintain a consistent delivery.

Did you check the float to make sure it wasn't waterlogged?

Also, it's possible for your filters to become recontaminated...

What I found helpful was a clear filter installed just prior to the carb, so I could actually see if fuel was making it that far.

Lastly, the squirter valve might need attention. You know, it shoots in a little gas as you transition from idle circuit to power circuit (or something like that...) It's been awhile...