Honda 1500 won't start...still

[metricmayhem]

I had posted before concerning my honda, and have since fixed a few problems only to encounter new ones.
After replacing the old 12 valve cam and head with a 16 valve cam and head, I couldn't get any spark to the plugs. This turned out to be a bad igniter unit. Now I get spark to the plugs when I hold the plug to the negative battery terminal while the enging cranks over. But it still won't start.
This bothered me a bit because I don't know much about carbeurator: I noticed that air/fuel blows back past the throttle plate when the engine is turning over. Is this normal?
I have troubleshot everything I can think of, from igniton timing to crankshaft placement to valve adjustment, and have gotten nowhere.
Any help I can get from anyone would be great, as I am a poor college kid with virtually no money that lives 18 miles from school. I really need this car to start.

[metricmayhem]

HA! Turns out that I was ligning the timing up with a panted mark on the crankshatf pulley instesd of the stamped timing marks!! Beware of the painted dot, honda owners.

[metricmayhem]

HA! Turns out that I was ligning the timing up with a panted mark on the crankshatf pulley instesd of the stamped timing marks!! Beware of the painted dot, honda owners.