318 camshaft timing question

I had pinging issue with my 440 running too cold of a thermostat, it was a high flow 160.. I installed a high flow 180 and left the timing alone. The issue went away... Engines need some heat to burn the moisture off from condensation. It sounds more like an incomplete burn issue than too much engine. Essentially with the 318 you have it should run like butter on moose pi$$