First- look inside carb and twist the throttle to make sure that you are getting gas. Make sure that the choke is closing ALL the way for initial startup. The Edelbrock has two vacuum ports on the front. 1 should be blocked and the other routed to vacuum advance. It does matter which one is blocked, but I can't remember which one for Chevy! Once started, listen for any vacuum leaks that may appear. It sounds like a pretty good leak that you have if it dies right away. When it is running, does it run smooth or rough? Any black smoke out the back? If so, too rich. If not possibly too lean. Could also be a timing issue. Loosen distributor and have someone start it. While it's running, slowly turn distributor either way and release throttle to check. Good luck! Mark