Beyond my control too;
To get 160psi with a 284 cam, in at 110, you would need a static C/R at or near 10.8. And your Dcr might be right around 8/1. At 218*@.040, the ramps are long and gentle.
So,I don't know why you are having detonation problems at 34*.
There's lots of good help here, and it is not my intention to contradict anyone, so I'll try to word this as to what I would do.You can completely ignore me, and you won't hurt my feelings one bit.Ok here we go............
Obviously you have two problems, but there may be a third and a fourth.So let's start with the last,first.
#4) Engine loading; Vehicle weight, rear gearing and TC stall. I'm gonna guess that you have an A-body(go figure), and at least 3.55 gears, and at least a 2200stall converter.These parameters will let your 340 wind up relatively quickly, cuz the loading is relatively light.
#3) placement of the A/F sensor. This bad boy can lie to you all day long if you have installed it in the wrong place, or if air is getting into the header-pipe(s) between the exhaust valves and the sensor.So it's critical that that section of pipe be leak-free. I didn't see where yours is so, if you are in the collector, well aft of the merge, and there are no leaks in the header anywhere upstream, then you are good to go.
Next I'd like to say my spiel about timing. But it pertains to streeters only, cuz that's all I know. If you are racing you can skip over this junk.
#2) I ran a 223@050 in my 360 at 10.7Scr.with aluminum heads. My Dcr was 8.7IIRC.This will be somewhat of a skewed comparison I know.
In this configurations I ran 87E10.I ran full timing, with no detonation.Now full timing with aluminum heads can be as much as 4 or 5 degrees less than iron Xs.
The trick to running 160 plus psi With a borderline Dcr, IMO, is to delay the full timing to 3200 or more rpm and to not run as much initial as you might otherwise think correct. The reason is, until you figure out just how much is too much, it is better to run too little. Yeah it might be a little less snappy from idle to that 3200, but if you can't floor it whenever you want, what good is it?
Now I've also run a 292/508 in this same engine and am currently running a 230@050.
Enough background.
So here's what I would do.I would reset the distributor to run no more than 18 initial and top out at 36@3400. I would put a 2stage curve in there, to get about 28* at about 2800.That's what I would do. Then I would road test it, and find out if it detonates and exactly at what rpm and load setting. I would test it with midgrade fuel(assuming you are a streeter).If performance is more important to you than the price of gas, then I would fill up with top grade. I would keep a log.If it detonates at 36/3400, instead of backing down the dizzy, I would move up the point of all-in, 200 rpm at a time. If by 3800 it is still detonating, only THEN, would I back up the all-in. Of course I would start all over, with 34@3400.
But if it doesn't detonate at 36/3400, then I would reset the dizzy to get 36@3200; and retest. And so on....
Now the amount and severity of detonation can cause a change of plans. If you have heavy detonation, I would move the timing further and faster as a shortcut. If just light detonation, I would move things less and slower. Complicated chit I know.Time-consuming, you bet.But you will get to know your engine.And a melt-down gets expensive, and then there's the downtime.
That's how I used to do it.There is a plan B, which is only a tiny bit less time consuming.
#1) and finally fueling. It's been a while since I worked on a Carter, and I've not worked on an Edelbrock-Carter at all, so I can't help much there. So I'll just add a few observations.
-A), the fuel bowls need to stay at the design fuel level.This sounds elementary. And you have a fine new Blue pump, running "good" pressure. So I just want to say that the carb doesn't care one whit how much pressure the pump puts out. The absolutely only thing it cares about, is that the fuel level is correct,and stays correct,under every circumstance.So if you are chasing your tail around trying to get a rich enough mixture, you might consider the fuel level.
-B) Adequate fuel flo to keep the bowls full.This requires a VOLUME test.The amount of fuel your engine needs is based on the horsepower output. It is based on the formula that says you need 1/2 pound of fuel per hour per horsepower, then converted from pounds to gallons. Your pump has to deliver this amount, at a minimum, into the fuel bowls.
Let's say your powerhouse is making 350HP.Using the above formula,we see that the engine will need 175 pounds per hour. Well at 6 pounds per gallon that would be 29 gallons per hour. Throw in 10% extra for a safety margin and you get 32gph. (This converts to116.5Lph.) So how do you test this? Well first we need to convert this to a convenient number, let's say one minute. Doing the math, 32gph converts to 17 oz per minute. So all you have to do,is to see if the pump will deliver those 17 oz into the carb in one minute.
We start with disconnecting the hose from the carb inlet and running it into a glass jar like a 1 qt mason jar. 17 oz is a tic over a half a quart, so hit the sw and see how long it takes to fill a half jar with pure gas-no bubbles.. Less than a minute?So far so good. Now you have to prove that same test will pass into the carb. This is the critical part of the test. I will leave it to your imagination to rig up the test. The important things to think about if the pump fails to deliver this fuel into the bowls is; the size of the delivery orifices in the float valves,and that they are free from obstruction,the float-drop, and that the delivery path to the inlet is also free from obstructions. Also consider where your filter is, the size of it's in/out, and it's internal resistance to flow.
-C) the main wells, These start at the jets. The jets are the calibrated orifices. But if there is a restriction down-stream on the way to the discharge ports, you might be able to take the jets right out and never see a difference.
-D)The metering rods; again this is elementary, but the rods actually have to rise up out of the jets to put the smallest step in the hole. If yours are adjustable other than by spring(like the TQs are), and even if not, make sure they are actually doing that, and staying up.
-E) other stuff; I would not be scared to block the secondaries closed and get the primaries dialed in first.You might be surprised to find out just how hard she scoots as a 2bbl.
Ok, so, That's how I've done it in the past.
