Mild 318 pinging

Distributor still ahve its tag? It should match the number in the book.
If so, then you can get a ballpark whether yours is in spec and the shape of the curve above 2000 rpm.
Plot your engine mechanical advance vs. the advance max and min from the book.
View attachment 1715927400

The factory initial was basically TDC (at 700 rpm? ) and now its at 11* BTDC at maybe 700 rpm?
If so, then that's probably the crux of the problem.
Will it idle at 5 or 6* ? If so that may be a quick solution, or partial solution.
With less initial, then if it wants a bit more timing at idle - if the manifold vacuum at idle is reasonably stable - try using manifold vacuum source for the distributor's vacuum advance.
With the 4 bbl and the cam, probably should reshape the timing curve but those two steps may get you driving for now. Plot the timing first to make sure the assumptions here are true. Also this

is a good check too.
It should not ping at part throttle with the vacuum advance disconnected.
It may ping near full throttle, and that would indicated too much timing at the rpm.




Notice the factory gave 4* leeway in the initial. This was to allow for different fuel, altitude and owner preferences. My folks had their '69 318 advanced a little and ran Premium until the gas crisis. 21 mpg on the highway. Pretty good at the time for a v-8 in a midsize car with an auto transmission and bias ply tires.

Yes, that is the tag that is on the distributor. I know that I already limited the total mechanical by welding and re-machining
the slots in the advance plate and I know that I got rid of the heavy with long loop spring. I think I replaced it with a 2nd factory light spring which may have been a bad idea. Am I correct that distributor degrees on the chart have to be doubled to get degrees read at the balancer? If so I am confused as I am getting 25* at the balancer at 2000 rpm which with 11* initial would only be 14* from the distributor advance which is half of what the specs say. Or I'm wrong about doubling and it
is right where it should be. I have had the initial backed off to 6-8* and it did seem to eliminate most pinging but it seems to handle the in gear drop better with more initial. I'm at a steady 19" at idle in park and a steady 15" at idle in gear at the 11* setting. I'll try driving it without the vacuum advance connected and, if that eliminates the pinging as it should,
I'll try backing the initial off and connecting to manifold vacuum and see where I'm at. If that works, maybe I can avoid having to mess with the advance slots again.