Starting hesitation, replaced plugs, wires, cap and rotor. backfire a little through carb, starts about third try

Have you check to see if the timing on the car is right?

Is the check engine light on ? Have you had the fuel pressure checked ?

Make sure the timing is correct. Backfiring is often caused by an engine out of time.
Good idea on the carb rebuild. It may be letting too much gas in.

5 years ago for cap & rotor???? It sounds like it's in dire need of a complete tune up - plugs. wires, cap, rotor, all fluids & filters ESPECIALLY fuel filter. I'd start there and run a good fuel system cleaner through it. Do your tune ups more frequently like every 30K - not wait 5 years!

that poor little engine 217ooo miles :( Compression check? carb cleaned? injector or carb jets ?

The distributor will have white deposits on each metal tap inside cap and the rotor will be worn down. Take a look under the cap try not to disconnect the spark plug wires just unhook the cap and turn it so you can look inside. That's the easy thing to do. If the cap has the deposits you need a knew cap and rotor I would get knew wires and check your spark plugs as well.

Hi wyocwboy here, Have you changed Spark Plug Wires ,or distributor Cap & Rotor? If you have this really sounds more like a Few spark Plug Wires have Been put on wrong. If you have'nt changed opr moved any of the wires or changed cap & rotor,Its Possible that your Timing Chain has jumped a Notch.Clean off your Damper -Which is the Bottom Pully your Hamonic Balacer, then rotate your enging until you Find your Timing Marks, Clean good and take a Marker or best a Chalk or Soap stick and mark it a 8 Degrees BTDC (Before Top Dead Center) Hook up a Timimg like Assuming it does run.And see if your able to see the Timing light Flashing on the mark if not Rote your Distributor either way Slowly and See if you can get the Light on the MARK you Made on The Harmonic Balancer. If Not Either Your Timing Chain Jumped a Notch or your Distributor may be off a nocth. To Check to see if your Timing Chain Jumped a Notch =Remove the COIL WIRE from Distributor Cap So it Won't Start then Remove #-1 Spark Plug Have a Friend Turn the Key off and On just Bumping the Engine a Little at a Time,Keeping a Compression Gauge in the #-1 Plug Hole When the Gauge Needle goes up you are close to TDC (TOP DEAD CENTER) STOP THERE .Check to see if the Mark on your Bottom Pully you made is at or Close to Ling up on top dead center. Trace #-1 Spark Plug Wire up to the Distributor Cap Remember the wires In the Dist. Caps Position or mark it to. Pull the Cap off The Distributor Rotor Should Be Pointing to Close to Where Your Number 1-Spark Plug Wire was Located.
Run These Series Of Tests and it Should Tell you or Give you a Very Good Idea of Your Problem. Please Let Me Know if This Helped You. FROM THE WYOCWBOY

Take a plug wire out put a old plug in it and crank to see if you have spark..If you do then its a fuel problem..Pour a little gas in carb and try to start

I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_a3369546f8067589

Sounds like you have the firing order right but your off on the #1 on the distributer. Every time you get an explosion coming from the carb its misfiring. Find the #1 on dist and continue with firing order

is it a misfire or backfire? if misfire it needs a carb rebuild. if it is a backfire it is timeing problem. berrydalewolf