!998 Chevy P/U fires but won't start

[Badcritters]

I have a 1998 Chevy 1500 p/u with the 5.0 litre engine. It became very hard to start, especially when cold(sitting for long periods of time). I took it to a mechanic and was told it was the timing chain. Spent $1200 letting them replace the timing chain and it still wont start after sitting overnight. Replaced the spider injection system myself and thought I had the issue solved, but it still ran rough once cranked. I broke the pcv valve hose while installing the injection system. Replace the assembly with a new one and now it runs great once you get it cranked. However, getting it cranked is next to impossible. Turns over and fires like it wants to start, but just won't quite start. The mechanic that replaced the timing chain says there is a "wetting" issue, whatever that means. Once the truck has been cranked it runs great! No misses, no hesitations and fires back up with just a bump of the key. I am at a loss for what could be wrong!