Check your grounds!

I got all the hoses and wires back on the car. At least I thought I did. I got a new Optima red top battery and installed it, crossed my fingers and turned the key. Nothing.

Turns out I was missing the ground from the starter to the frame, but this wasn't the problem. A loose wire on the starter was the actual cause. It had come loose while I was cramming the engine into the bay. Doh!

Slid the connector back on the starter and it turned over nice and strong.

Found the missing ground wire in the "extra" parts pile.