Vacuum advance removal, is it possible?

72bluNblu said
It really depends on how the timing is set. My car runs best at idle with 18* of timing, so, even with the vacuum advance adjusted to its absolute minimum I was getting over 50* of advance all in, which is way too much and caused detonation. With the initial at 18*, the mechanical set up for 36* of total advance and the vacuum advance unhooked my car runs MUCH better than it ever did with the vacuum advance hooked up. 36* is plenty of advance. So, the idea that not using vacuum advance means you're not getting the most out of your engine isn't accurate at all. You just need to make sure that the distributor is set up to give you the advance that you need.

So they just put a vacuum advance on to create problems? A correctly working vacuum advance does what it is designed to do - give you proper advanced timing at higher engine rpms. However, most of these distributors are 35 - 40 years old and have never been touched. If your advance is opening that much, there are issues with the distributor or advance. Plus, most run a stock distributor and vacuum advance on motors with cams, custom exhaust, intakes and carbs - all of which change the dynamics of the motor. My statement is not accurate? That is not true at all. I personally run a mechanical advanced distributor and don't have those issues, but springs get week and weights pull too far with age.