Setting timing without pointer

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tmj91

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I have a 67 318 im about to swap into my dart. The timing tab and pointer is missing. I purchased a mopar performance timing tape, and a piston stop. How exactly do I go about getting the timing tape put on at tdc? what do you recommend I use as a pointer?
 
Paint it white with another one on your balance wheel when there turning there easy to see.
 
The pointer can be anywhere handy. Just fab a bracket, with a point that's "in a handy spot."

If you are using the later water pump, etc, you'll want it on the driver's side, if the earlier pump, the opposite.

Now buy or make a piston stop:

Some of the commercial ones, like shown, don't have a means to lock the plunger, so it's important to do so....lock nut, tack weld, whatever. Once you set the plunger for length, you don't want it to move

cca-4795.jpg


The length is not all that important. You are not trying to stop the piston at TDC and in fact, could not. Pull the no 1 plug, and disconnect battery for safety. Insert the device, and play with plunger depth some until you get the engine to stop with a wrench. Be careful, you don't want to damage / break a piston.

When you get the length usable, the piston will stop at some depth "coming up." Make a temporary mark exactly under your new pointer. Take your time, and be accurate.

Now rotate the engine counter clockwise, until it again stops. Make a second mark as before. TDC will be exactly halfway between these marks, so measure it out and check your work

You can check the accuracy of your timing tape by calculating how many "inches per degree" your balancer is. Measure this out on the balancer, carefully with a small flexible tape. You can NOT use dividers, you must measure "around" the wheel. Calculate some handy figure, such as 40 degrees from TDC and mark that. Then, the TDC and the 40 from your tape should line up.

Never in my life, have I ever used tape. I always just measure it off --- Check and mark TDC, then measure and mark 40 Scribe it, using a scribe and small square, and then a small triangular file to deepen. Then you can use dividers to divide the distance between TDC and 40 in half, which gives you 20 marks. Take this and ADD another 20 to the 40 to give you 60. Then divide again for your 10 marks. You can check this accuracy by "going both ways" with the dividers.

That is, after you mark the 20 mark from 40, then put the dividers on TDC and check the 20 mark. This should meet the mark, proving that your 40 to 20 is the same as TDC to 20, and so on.

This is my old piston stop for SB Mopars I made way back in the 70's

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=234202

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alright. so. let me make sure I understand.
I put the pointer on.
Put the piston stop in.
mark where it stops, rotate the other way mark where it stops.
divide the difference to find TDC
Put the 0 mark of the timing tape at TDC.
adjust timing
 
Basically you use a piston stop.
Rotate the engine clockwise until you hit the stop.
Mark the balancer.
Rotate the engine counterclock wise until you hit the stop.
Mark the balancer.
1/2 between the marks is TDC.

Caution: rotate the engine slowly to not damage the pistons, also having all the spark plugs out makes it roll easier.

Good luck
 
alright. so. let me make sure I understand.
I put the pointer on.
Put the piston stop in.
mark where it stops, rotate the other way mark where it stops.
divide the difference to find TDC
Put the 0 mark of the timing tape at TDC.
adjust timing

NO. What you do is..............

I put the pointer on.
Put the piston stop in.
mark where it stops, rotate the other way mark where it stops.
divide the difference to find TDC

NOW before you put the tape on, measure around the wheel, figure the measurement around to equal 40 degrees, and mark that off, so that you know where TDC is and you know where 40 degrees advanced is............

Put the 0 mark of the timing tape at TDC.

and make sure the 40 mark on the tape lines up with your 40 mark on the wheel, and NOW you can...........

adjust timing

The tape comes for different size balancers. If you don't check it, how do you know it's correct? And of course, make sure you apply it in the correct direction.
 
NOW before you put the tape on, measure around the wheel, figure the measurement around to equal 40 degrees, and mark that off, so that you know where TDC is and you know where 40 degrees advanced is............



and make sure the 40 mark on the tape lines up with your 40 mark on the wheel, and NOW you can...........



The tape comes for different size balancers. If you don't check it, how do you know it's correct? And of course, make sure you apply it in the correct direction.


That means I have to use that fancy math!
 
Easy. Just get a narrow, flex tape. Measure carefully and accurately around your balancer. I used to find this was easier on some cars by jacking them up and doing it looking up from underneath.

Take the figure you get and divide that by 360.

Then take that answer and multiply x 40. That will give you the measurement in inches for 40 degrees.

Then simply measure that off from your TDC mark.
 
Thanks man. Youve been a big help.
 
You're welcome. Been here, done this. Probably will again, LOL
 
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