Why so much inital timing???

B3RE said
Honestly, if I could get away with running a locked out mechanical advance on the street, have it start every time, and not detonate, I'd do it every time. There's nothing saying you can't run a vacuum can with a locked out mechanical.

I have real issue with all of this DCR talk also. To me, a DCR is nothing but a STATIC measurement that doesn't take into account the many other factors that influence cylinder filling. Its like saying you have a 10:1 compression ratio because you put in 10:1 pistons, and it says so right on the box. There are a lot of other things that affect it. So, exactly how does the intake valve closing point dictate exactly how much intake charge actually gets trapped in the cylinder. Does it play a role? Absolutely, but it is not the end all, be all that it is made out to be.

But if you run locked out advance on the street you're....

Nevermind. Made that joke already.

And no. DCR isn't everything. Like I always try to say, pick an engine for how it's components work together. Not because you saw this part in a mag, or that part on another guys car. An engine, and the car it's in, is always a combination of everything you put into it. Parts have to work together. I think I mentioned this in a cam thread. Don't pick a cam based on it's duration or lift. Pick it based on how it will run with your combo. It's like that for all parts of an engine, or car.

RustyRatRod said
Yeah it;s really splittin hairs to a point, especially on a street motor......but some guys think the same way about all engines. Gotta get as much power as possible......and that's cool. But not everybody cares about that last little bit. I say build what you want to and run it. Every combo leaves something on the table so what the hell?

That was kinda one of my points from the beginning. If this was a race motor? Yeah. I'd be looking for 8.5:1 or more dcr and all that jazz. It's not. It's a street motor. That's gotta put up with good or bad gas, good or bad tunes, good or bad timing, and everything else a motor like this will see. I'd rather see a guy make 400 horse and drive the thing everyday for two years with a smile on his face. Then make 420 horse and worry about where he fills up.

mopowers said
Thanks. I'm gonna run the piss out of it as is. It runs very well for what it is. I'll report back with ET's and mph numbers. The .040" head gaskets won't work for me as my pistons are .015" out of the hole which will put my quench distance too close for comfort. I appreciate the input. The combo is what it is. I was just wondering if 28* of initial timing was out of the question. I received the answer on the first page. The last two pages of bickering have been pretty entertaining though. Let's see how long we can keep it going. LOL I wonder if the dude I ignored is still responding. Something tells me he is. :rofl:

I completely forgot about that quench. You do got great quench.

I wouldn't stress it. That cam is fine. Your DCR is fine. Timing is fine. You got a strong street motor that won't give you headaches everyday. That's good in my books.