Timing Question

The Po probably did the timing with a vacumm guage and set it to where he achieved the most vacumm, which can result in a large amount of advance. Setting your timing should always be done with a light for accurate settings.

Mike

whats a PO????

grego37 said:

whats a PO????

Click to expand...

Previous Owner.

grego37 said:

whats a PO????

Click to expand...

Previous owner

got it!
"pervious owner"

TY
"Thank you"

Be careful, there is a good chance that either the vacuum advance or the mechanical advance is not working properly. There would be no other reason for the PO to set it this high otherwise. I bet it was nearly impossible to crank over...
If both advances were working properly and initial timing was 38, at higher RPM's you would almost certainly have pinging. You did set your timing with the vacuum advance unhooked and plugged right? You are using a 'timed' vacuum port, correct? (If it's the stock carburetor, disregard this question)? The timed port will have no vacuum at idle...

Put your timing light on the car and start it up. Increase engine speed to about 3500 and hold it steady. What is your total advance? Do the same with the vacuum advance unhooked and unplugged. There should be less total advance with the vacuum advance unhooked. If it is the same, your vacuum advance is not working.
If, while the vacuum advance is unhooked, you don't get advance from your idle setting of 8 - 10 as you increase engine speed then your mechanical advance is not right.

If you have set your idle advance to 8 - 10 (with vac unhooked) and you get about 38 degrees at 3500 (with everything hooked up) then you are good to go.

hmmm... that would indicate that your mechanical advance is not working... Mechanical advance should come on smoothly with RPM and max out at ~3500 RPM.
I have the same carb and one of the ports on the front is 'timed' advance. It will be the one that does NOT have vacuum at idle. Plug the one that has vacuum at idle and hook the other up to the distributor.
I am not familiar with that distributor and he may be right that you don't need vac advance but I'd question the lack of mechanical advance at higher RPM's. You really need 38 - 40 degrees at 3500. You will lose a ton of power if you are only at 8 degrees advance at higher RPM's.
If you hook up the timed vac advance, does it run any better at higher RPM's?