HELP! My Ghetto Timing Method, Will it work?

I need to retard the timing 4 degrees on my stang to pass the smog test.

The problem is that I don't have a timing gun!

So here's my idea, make a cardboard cutout of a 1/2" thick ring that will fit exactly around the shaft of the distributor. Get out the trusty old protractor and mark lines 4 degrees apart. Scribe a notch on the distributor base and then rotate it between the lines on the cardboard.

Questions
- will a 4 degree rotation of the dist. shaft equal a 4 degree timing change?
- which direction, clockwise or counterclockwise is advance and retard?

Thanks
 
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conartist said:
make a cardboard cutout of a 1/2" thick ring that will fit exactly around the shaft of the distributor. Get out the trusty old protractor and mark lines 4 degrees apart. Scribe a notch on the distributor base and then rotate it between the lines on the cardboard.
c'mon man...this is a joke right?? your ASE certified or something right??? Although it is a funny one...
 
if i may ask, if you have no timing light how do you know it needs to be retarded 4 degree's to begin with??
actually if it were 4 degree's you could scribe a line on the distributor and the manifold and rotate it counter clockwise about 3/32's and thad be about 4 degree's......thad be the easy ghetto way to do it.....lol.....you would'nt be trying to con us car guys, would ya, conartist?....lol
 
ignition timing is relative to the crank shaft, recall that the timing pointer on is on the crank and the balancer is scribed. best thing is to use a tiimg light. After you pass the smog test you can prove out your distributor degree theory. Let is know how it works !
 
Someone marked my dist. base and the block with a hammer and screwdriver. When I put my dist back in, I used those marks to line it up exactly where it was. When I put the timing light on it, I was off by 4 degrees. So no, that wont work at all. Get a timing light, and buy a decent one, not the cheapest you can find. Good luck.