Greetings. Starting with an unfamiliar car that has been "hacked" poses some difficulty. Stick with it, and you'll get help to get you through the process.

An HEI distributor is NEVER required. That said, it's in the car, and you know it DID run. If the engine doesn't crank, it has nothing to do with the distributor, so let's skip that topic for now. The kill switch should also not contribute to a starting issue, since it's wired directly to the distributor.

First step is to test the battery for 12.6v or higher from positive to negative, and that you've also checked from battery positive to a bolt on the cylinder head or other location on the engine to be sure power is available.

Next step is to examine the starter cable from the battery to the starter. Look for signs of arcing to ground, bad insulation, corrosion, loose clamps/bolts or other visual items. Then check the ground cable in the same fashion.

Turn on the headlights and turn the key. Do the lights stay on bright, dim a lot, or go out?

While in the driver's seat, rotate the cover of the steering column while turning the key. Rotate first counterclockwise, then clockwise. The collar on many modified cars is not locked down and can keep the safety interlock from working properly. If at any time you hear the starter try to crank, your problem is here.

Next check your shifter. Be sure it is fully engaged in Park before starting; to test the neutral safety switch, try placing the shift lever in each gear position (foot on the brake) while trying to start. If at any time you hear the starter try to crank, your problem is here.

A less common problem is a stuck starter pinion. This can happen if the car backfired or dieseled at shutdown. To remedy, disconnect the negative battery cable, and using a tire iron or wide screwdriver, rotate the ring gear from beneath the car back and forth a tooth or two. If you hear the starter gear retract, it was stuck. If it happens again, you may have a weak starter.

Try your heater blower motor. It should be able to be turned on in the ON key position. If not, you may have an ignition switch problem. To test the ignition switch "start" position, you will need to use a test light from the starter solenoid S terminal to ground.

If you have a console shift auto and still have no success, you can remove your console for access to the neutral safety switch. It's two big fat purple wires. Make a jumper wire of the same gauge and jumper the harness coming from the dash. Try your key again. At this point, you are just listening for any sound of life from the starter. If you still have none, your starter or starter solenoid may have failed.