I have an 85 Brat 3AT. I just got my distributor back after 2 weeks, from Philbin industries, where it got rebuilt. I put it back in the car and went to start it and nothing. There is a clicking noise inside the cabin when I turn the key but nothing from the starter itself. It did work before I pulled the distributor to be sent off and rebuilt. I pulled the starter and tested it with a battery and jumper cables and it pushes out and retracts, and spins perfectly fine. I'm assuming it's something wire related in the car. Any ideas??

The distributor has nothing to do with the cranking of the engine. Heck, engine will crank with the distributor pulled. 

I know it has nothing to do with it. I was just saying that's why it sat for two weeks. I'm just trying to figure out why my starter isn't even trying to turn at all. 

Clicking noise from starter can be caused by a few things:

-poor charge on battery

-poor battery connections

-worn out solenoid contacts on starter

-worn out key ignition

 

Check your battery out and its connections.  Replace solenoid contacts, youTube videos show how.  Add a starter relay from Amazon and you should be fine.

Try jump starting it. Battery is probably low on juice and doesn't have enough to even make the starter click. 

Cheers

Bennie

Say so if you don't know what you are looking for in 'checking' cables

 

In the pasI have found positive cable needs stripping back 10 mm clean up cable with sand paper etc some spray oil and tighten all the terminal nuts n bolts...fixed both times Aaluminium cables seem to grow invisible insulating corrosion

 

I have been caught out twice changing starter first

My battery cables are relatively new I think only a year old, and I don't think I mentioned it but my dash lights do come on and the chiming for the keys in ignition still works it just won't spin the motor. Alas I will try all these tricks when I get off work today we'll see how it goes.

On the back / side of the starter is a single wire, tat triggers the solenoid.   Use a test lead or piece of wire to get 12v to this terminal.  If it cranks, the problem is high resistance in the circuit feeding it.  The "relay mod" is the easiest way to fix this.

 

If the starter clicks, but does not crank the engine,  the contacts need to be replaced.

I wired up my fans to a switch so its possible I messed up the wire somehow while I was running the fan wires into the cabin. Even though I was being super careful. I'll fiddle with it tonight some more.

So I did what you said I just went ahead and cut the wire that was going to the fan and the switch that I made and connected the starter to that and when I flip the switch the starter spins and pushes the gear out. So I assume that means that the wire that goes into the cabin is messed up somewhere.

aha, another case of not getting the whole story up front.

 

Goes like this, while it was laid up waiting for the dizzy to be returned ....

 

OK. This relay people speak of but don't really explain - might be a good time to do it to save hassles in the future.

 

It has something to do with the old contacts in the back of the ignition switch or wiring, letting you down.

 

Trick is a horn relay of 30 or 40 Amps. I like the ones that come with a joey pocket (as in marsupial joey pocket ) that takes a blade fuse

That black wire with white ? trace that goes to starter solenoid goes to 86 of relay.

get a good earth from body to pin 85

. Get a nice chunky wire with good connection to battery pos and connect to pin 30

Pin 87 chunky wire then goes to starter solenoid.

 

So, when you hit ignition switch to crank position only needs a light trigger voltage to trip the relay to make it feed direct from battery to solenoid.

 

Should never have a no crank problem after this unless flat battery or the relay blows up !

after I tested it I put the starter back in and plugged it back up and it started right up so I know the wiring is bad somewhere but I'm not going any farther than my neighborhood for right now so I'll just leave it for now. All I did was wiggle the massive pigtail going into the cabin and it started so, for now it's all good until I hit a bump and then it doesn't start the next time LOL.

Uh oh, wiggle left or right ?

Um not sure kinda both I guess.