You will probably need some choke to get it to start. Mine took a few goes to start in limp home mode to begin with.

The air noise you can hear could be the manifold leaking. If it isn't perfectly flat after you welded it up, it might not be sealed against the head correctly

If its not even spluttering then it sounds like your not getting any spark. I've started an engine with no exhaust, no gasket on the carbs and running limp home (10 deg BTDC) and it started fine. Ran rough as an old dog... but still started.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm going to try twin's screwdriver method tonight to see if I've got a spark. The battery should be nice and full by then after charging all last nite and today to rule that out. If I've got a spark then I'll try putting some oil down the plug holes like ajay suggested and turn it over a bit to get it nice and oiled up.

I'm guessing with all of my attempts so far I should be getting close to building up enough pressure for the oil lamp to go out indicating the oil pressure has built up enough? But taking the plugs out to put some oil down will reset the pressure?

Dave when you say a bit of choke, is that different to holding the throttle open a bit? (I've got a screwdriver holding it open between a 1/8 and 1/4 as I don't have a throttle cable or choke cable fitted yet).

By opening the choke to introduce more fuel into the engine making it easier to start. By opening the throttle the way you have you might be leaning the mixture making it more difficult to start.

I would shut the throttle and open the choke and see what happens. You can always adjust the throttle stop screw to set the idle speed higher.

whislt the plugs are out and if your not replacing them, give them a clean with some wire wool.

Pouring oil down the bores is nothing to do with oil preasure, it's purely to try and raise compression if the rings are thought to be letting combustion past. I would imagine it would be firing anyway but a little badly.

Dirty, damp plugs is a prime suspect if there is a spark. Or Static timing.

If your drawing fuel you should smell it on the plugs.

TT

Any idea where the choke will be on the carbs and what it looks like?

In the picture you sent me of your carbs, it is the brass coloured slide at the top of the picture with a spring attached to it. You slide it to the right in the picture to turn the choke on.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...7/IMAG0048.jpg

You will probs need to connect this up on a choke cable once you are all sorted too, my st motor starts fine with no choke but my cvh liked the choke from cold

CBS do one that locks when you twist it

You will need some bigger jets in eventually too, my cvh was initially on standard zx6r jets and it was dangerously lean up in the rev range

Ended up with 175s or 180s cant remember which was best now on the rollers, both safe but one gave a touch more power

I might have a few sets of jets in the garage that will suit, i will pm if i find any

The standard ones were in mine at iva as it was only driven around the car park and sailed through emmisions

Nice one, thanks for the info mark. If you got some jets that you don't need, I'd definately be interested. Like you said though, it sounds like it maybe better to leave fitting the bigger ones till post iva though. I tried turning it over again tonight after the battery being left to charge all night & day. Still the same thing, a slow crank with a sort of wheezing sound. The neighbor walked by at the time and he reckons the battery is shot as he seemed to think it should spin up alot faster than it is. I guess it's a bad sign really when the battery is flat and the charger shows it being full again with 20 mins...

So I probly need a new battery now but I'm gonna try and jump start it off my daily driver tomorrow to see.

One thing though, if I do need a new battery, the donor one had holes thru the terminals so the connections bolted onto the terminals. I haven't seen a modern battery with holes in the terminals like this before so is there some sort of adapter I can get to be able to bolt the connections onto a modern battery from somewhere like halfords?

Also if I go get a new one, what sort of amp rating am I looking for to be able to start a cvh like this?

I got an odyssey pc680 from ebay, only small but more than upto the job of a kitcar

A little pricey, but nice and light and can be mounted in any position

You can buy normal round clamp on terminals if you want to change to a battery not specified for the sierra