Tuning For Detonation

Thanks yall. To clarify a few things.....I don't necessarily want a specific amount of initial or total. I want enough initial where it will crank quickly and not so much total where it has detonation.

Now to answer a couple of questions/points. Yes, I am 100% dead sure that now it only spark knocks when crowded and the vacuum advance is not in play. 100%, no question. It happens when there is either zero vacuum or not enough to pull in anything. In fact, I don't think it ever does it on the primary barrels, so that tells you how far into the gas it happens.

@Bewy in post #30. I would agree with that first part, but in this situation, it's not so. It's my fault we are where we are. I knew going in this would be a "ragged edge" kinda build. I COULD have put the limiter plate in the distributor THEN, but I didn't that wouldn't have done anything though, because I would have put the plate in at the same 14 degree slots I put it in now and would have had the same 40 degrees total, so the spark knock would still be there.

Doing it how I did, I have a better view about what it actually needs and what is actually going on. At the 14 slots, which should have been 34 total with 20 initial, I still got 40 total with 15 initial, just like before. I've read where these plates don't always have their marked outcomes with the slots, so I was ready for that.

Now, with the plate in the 10 degree slots, I have 20 initial and 35 total. Again, I don't really have a specified goal in mind with timing, other than getting it to crank good hot, as it's been having classic long crank times holding the throttle partially open.....a classic sign of retarded initial timing and the detonation, a classic sign of too much total timing.

I just got done fixing the fuel leak. It was a leaking NEW fuel pump, so I swapped on the new one off the 170 and that's done. It pops right off now at 20 initial, so that issue seems better. I don't know how it starts hot like that yet, since we've not driven it since I limited total to 35. We're leaving now to run to the post office, so I'll report back in a bit. THanks for all the good ideas. It's much appreciated.