Thanks everybody.
Regarding fire: I removed a spark plug and inspected. It was HEAVILY carbonized, so I cleaned it. I ran a wire from the side of the plug to the block (in lieu of Ed's suggestion to lay it on the block somewhere), turned on the key and cranked it (using a crow bar to depress the starter button so I could be under the hood). I observed NO spark. I guess I'll next test the coil, since those instructions are readily available on this site. I suspect i have a short somewhere, because this is original wiring with cloth insulation that is missing in many places. My horn will occasionally honk spontaneously when I'm tinkering under the hood, but I haven't figured that out yet.
Regarding fuel: I learned that lesson a couple times in the 15 years I've owned this truck and have drained gallons of varnishy-smelling stuff from the tank in the past. Now I keep the tank mostly empty and will pour in 0.5 - 1.0 gallon when needed. So I'm ruling out fuel, especially since I've been pouring new fuel into the carb during my attempts to start.
I welcome any suggestions on what to test next, given I observe no spark. I know I have 6.2 volts of juice to the voltage regulator and fuse block beneath it. From there, not so sure.
Thanks, gents.
Last edited by ol_red; 08/27/2017 8:51 PM.
