I have a 1984 Chevy c10. I just recently got it started but it just seemed to die after a few seconds.. It helps when I pump the gas but it still won't run long enough to put it into gear and drive..

try taking the air cleaner top off and spraying carb cleaner around the choke- it is probably gummed up- if you want to, have a friend pump the gas pedal while you do it so you can see it open and close.

If the engine runs smoothly during the few seconds it runs then you have a fuel problem. It could be a stuck choke as Richard suggests. It could be a clogged fuel filter (where the fuel line enters the carburetor). It could be a bad or marginal fuel pump. It could be a partially stuck float valve (inside the carb - requires rebuild). It could even be clogged fuel lines back to the gas tank or a clogged pick-up inside the tank. If the engine does NOT run smoothly then it is most likely an ignition problem. This could be a bad HEI module (inside the distributor), bad spark advance system (comes in two flavors - vacuum advance control or a very simple "computer" control.) If it sputters, luggs, and backfires it is really out of whack timing.