As Chris said, something strange going on there.
I am baffled by your comment about boring etc. Earlier in this thread you said your original block was worn and needed reboring but your spare only needed honing so you were going to use that, but then you said you had one of them bored, old pistons and new rings. Which is it? How can you bore a block and use old pistons unless it`s specifically bored and honed to suit the old pistons.
You don`t know what the piston/bore clearance is. You don`t know what the ring gaps are. You don`t know if the pistons were liberally coated with oil/ graphogen when the machine shop fitted them do you. The first few seconds of an engine starting from a new assembly is critical so that the pistons don`t pick up in the bores and the rings don`t scuff in a dry cylinder. You have been cranking it over for a long time with fuel washing the bores. It`s no wonder something has gone wrong. I don`t wish to be disrespectful but you seem to be stumbling from one crisis to another ( non starting, Valve timing etc) It would have been more cost effective timewise, parts, gaskets etc to have got a professional to assemble it don`t you think. I know we all have to learn but it`s becoming a problem to you. We are all trying to help but it`s difficult not knowing if the basics are right.
Never the less, good luck, and I will continue to offer any advice if I can.
