Another timing inquiry

[I8NEMO]

My car is a 68 Barracuda. The motor that was in the car is a 19 69 casting 318. I swapped this timing pointer scale to the 1969 casting 340 X head now in the car. No timing marks on cover. Im at TDC on cylinder 1 fire. Confirmed valve's are closed, further CW rotation opened exhaust valve to again confirm earlier fire stroke. ( rotation then returned to TDC)Rotor points to cyl.1.
TDC mark on damper way late and at about the 12oclock position beneath water pump. From all that ive read here, this problem seems to be a tweener . If I was 180 out, damper TDC would be around 4 or 5 o'clock?69 and later has pointer on passenger side I think from what I've read? Ive read in other posts the problem could lie in the cam intermediate drive?

 

[Mike69cuda]

1970 and up have the timing marks molded into the cover on the drivers side.

I think 68 and 69 have them molded into the passenger side.

I think 67 and back have the separate Bolt on timing scale on the passenger side.

Parts get swapped around a lot on these engines, so you never know what you wind up with. The sure way to do it is to use a timing stop.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Piston stop with a degree wheel. Turn it one way until it stops. Write down the number. Turn it the other way until it stops and write down the number . take the difference it didn't turn and divide it by two. Put the pointer between those two points that it didn't travel where it stopped in each dirrection. That's an accurate top dead center of number #1.

 

[I8NEMO]

Piston stop with a degree wheel. Turn it one way until it stops. Write down the number. Turn it the other way until it stops and write down the number . take the difference it didn't turn and divide it by two. Put the pointer between those two points that it didn't travel where it stopped in each dirrection. That's an accurate top dead center of number #1.

Thanks, I get the concept yet I've not done this procedure before. In other posts I have read, are guys using an actual bolt into the spark plug hole for a piston stop?

 

[halifaxhops]

Thanks, I get the concept yet I've not done this procedure before. In other posts I have read, are guys using an actual bolt into the spark plug hole for a piston stop?

No don't use a bolt unless you grind the end like the pic. . Stops have a semi circle end. Use one or something soft to do it. Oldmanmopar is right on it. You never know where it is unless you do it. One more thing that could happen is the balancer slipped and is reading wrong.

 

[Mike69cuda]

Turn your crank by hand, don’t use the starter. Don’t want to knock a hole in a piston.

 

[I8NEMO]

Stop tool method took out the slop from the thumb over hole method. TDC on damper now visible on driver side and appears to be the same distance away from engine center as TDC hole on passenger side pointer. Made a TDC line for passenger pointer just in case, Need to find a driver side pointer and I'm done!
Thanks guys! Of course, while shopping had to pick up ARP 12 points for valve covers. Guess this expensive hardware is a theme now lol

 

[I8NEMO]

Turn your crank by hand, don’t use the starter. Don’t want to knock a hole in a piston.

Yep, knew that, thanks for the help

 

[krazykuda]

Need to find a driver side pointer and I'm done!

Any timing chain cover from 70 and later will have the timing marks cast in on the driver's side and will interchange with the early one...

https://www.manciniracing.com/altico4le.html

 

[krazykuda]

Stop tool method took out the slop from the thumb over hole method.

That's what she said....

 

[I8NEMO]

That's what she said....

 

[cudamark]

You probably are using the '70-up balancer, that's why the TDC mark isn't lining up. No need to make a driver's side marker, just remark the balancer, add some white or yellow paint at that point, and call it a day. Just ignore the old balancer slot.

 

[I8NEMO]

You probably are using the '70-up balancer, that's why the TDC mark isn't lining up. No need to make a driver's side marker, just remark the balancer, add some white or yellow paint at that point, and call it a day. Just ignore the old balancer slot.

You probably are using the '70-up balancer, that's why the TDC mark isn't lining up. No need to make a driver's side marker, just remark the balancer, add some white or yellow paint at that point, and call it a day. Just ignore the old balancer slot.

 

[I8NEMO]

Thanks Mark, yep kinda what I figured. Ive got ideas of fabbing the pointer to the driver side and rechroming idk, I'm not positive there's good room for a timing light given the driver side water pump so while I was in there I did mark the balancer for right now. Thanks all for your generous input, I'm off to raise the left header and hopefully stuff in my new Borgeson p/s box!