73 Vette will not start

I just installed a new wiring harness under the hood of my 73 stingray. (csb) Using a volt meter I checked and I have electricity to the altenator, to the starter, up to the distributor cap, but the car will not start. It acts like the car is not in park. When I turn the key it does not crank. The lights work, the battery is good, just no start. A while back I changed the distributor from points to HEI. I tried in park and in neutral. I put the car in reverse and hte back up lights come on.  Any suggestions where to look for the problem?

Welcome to the forum. Do you have 12 volts from the battery to the starter solenoid? Does the starter solenoid engage when you turn the key to the start position?

Yes, I have 12 volts from the battery to the starter soliniod. No engagement of the starter. When I turn the key nothing visiable happens. It's just like not having it in park. I get a 12 volt reading on the meter when it si attached at the distributor.

Are you are you getting 12 volts to the solenoid activation terminal when you turn the key to the start position?

Another thing to try is to hold the key in the start position while you run the shift lever from Park slowly through all of the gears to see if you get anything to the starter solenoid that way. It could be your neutral safety switch is out of adjustment.

|UPDATED|8/20/2017 5:08:54 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Thank you for the advice, I will check the soliniod later this week. Work gets in the way of car play.  I have already checked the neutral safety switch and it is in good working order. I have also had the suggestion to check the ignition switch on the steering column, which I will get to later this week. I will report back progress by this weekend.

Good luck.  I didn't mean the neutral safety switch was bad, just possibly out of adjustment.

Looking over a wiring diagram, looks  like a purple wire that goes to the starter solenoid is the wire that engages the starter...  so, with the key switch in the start position, there should be 12 volts on this wire.  If all was working prior to replacing the wiring harness,  then obviously, there is something either not connected, or broken wire...   

First, since you did replace the harness, make sure you have the starter wired properly. The large purple wire goes to the terminal on the solenoid closest to the engine. This purple wire comes from the neutral safety switch(automatic), or the clutch switch(standard). On the other side of whichever switch you have is a purple/white stripe wire that goes to the ignition switch.
I would first verify the purple wire is on the inside terminal of the solenoid. If that is correct, then check for battery voltage on that terminal with the key in the "Start" position. No voltage in start? Disconnect the firewall pass-thru on the new harness, where it bolts to the fusebox, and make certain none of the terminals are damaged in any way.
My suspicion is you either have the solenoid wired wrong, OR there is an issue with the connection at the firewall pass-thru.

Everybody, thank you for the advice. I will get back to the Vette later next week. The Corvette car show is in Carlisle this week and I intend to go. I will post my progress next week.

Don't forget to be sure the starter is grounded. If you are checking for 12vdc reference your ground from the meter directly to the starter casing. This could also help in identifying an open ground to the starter. Hope this helps