Battery size or timing too high?
I bought springs and bushings, I’m missing the weights to so I gotta get those now. I accidentally threw all these parts out I guess.
I’m assuming it’s a MSD distributor. If you can, find MSD weights and use them. Try and avoid the Mr.Gasket weights and others like that.
If you can, it’s always best to make the curve never stop. In other words, don’t use the bushing to stop your mechanical advance. Using the bushings can make your timing bounce around at max advance.
If you can, you do that by making the weights lighter and/or using heavy springs. Light springs will usually make the timing erratic at low RPM.
The issue is getting springs strong enough to slow the curve down. When you get to the point the springs won’t slow the curve down enough you can start trimming the weights to get it slower. Making the weight lighter is about the same as using a heavier spring.
If you have an idea at what RPM you make peak torque, you can figure out how much timing you need there (dyno numbers would be incredibly useful if you have them) and then how far peak torque is from peak power will tell you what the shape of the curve needs to look like from peak torque to peak power.
Then you have to find what initial timing you need. Once you know that you can figure out the curve from idle to peak torque.
The hard part (aside from knowing what the engine actually wants) is making all that happen.
I can help with some of it if you have a close idea of what your power curve looks like.
I’m about to the point (and may be at this point but I won’t know until I get my garbage on the pump to know for sure) where it’s hard to justify trying to get the timing curve how it needs to be without a programmable ignition.
If it wasn’t so expensive I’d have a crank trigger and a digital programmable MSD 7. You can ride the dots and make the curve anything you want.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Enough guys on here know this stuff to help you.
I’m glad you decided to go with a curve. You are going against “conventional wisdom” about timing.
Just so you know, for a LONG time I was a HUGE advocate for locking out timing. Then I got schooled on ignition slew rates and timing retard with rpm. I was dead wrong about locked out timing.
So I always try and get guys to learn about timing and combustion and why a curve makes more power. And it’s easily proven on the dyno.
You are certainly on the right track.