Help me find the umph in my 360

I thought cam timing and disty timing aren't related. So if say the cam is set to retarded do i have to just keep advancing the disty until i find the sweet spot. i thought it was always best to get cam timing right first before worrying about disty timing. Am i wrong.
its a little late for that if you didnt degree the cam
thats why you verify tach spedo gears kickdown and tune
then if it still blows you look at the cam
lots of variables you dont know comp ratio or cam install point
advancing timming is a crutch to a retarded cam
if you knew it was best why did not degree it
enough talk
until you verify the setup
you are no where