Piggy back question to my timing a 360

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straightlinespeed

straightlinespeed

Sometimes I pretend to be normal
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On my LA 360. I'm using a 318 timing chain cover with the 10-0-10 timing marks, cast into it. Can I use the 0 position on the timing cover as my "pointer" to set my initial and advance timing? Or should I look for a pointer that bolts onto the cover?

Hope that makes sense.
 
Yeah use the 0 mark.

If the balancer is marked or a timing tape, you're ready to go.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
Find zero with a piston stop and mark the damper . Not many are exact from the factory.
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Did it! Got the dampener marked with time tape. Got the initial time set around 20*. When the advanced is hooked up and I rev to about 2500 it goes almost off the tape. Its reading about 60*. I'm sure my distributor is out of whack and needs to be adjusted. Only running a stock distributor.

Any thought?
 
If you have 20* initial you're going to want to limit your mechanical to around 15-16. Your total number will be higher with the vacuum hooked up under light throttle. Wide open throttle it goes away.
 
Bad Sport said:
If you have 20* initial you're going to want to limit your mechanical to around 15-16. Your total number will be higher with the vacuum hooked up under light throttle. Wide open throttle it goes away.
Click to expand...

OK maybe we are doing it wrong. Here is how we are setting it. Start the car and let idle with the advanced unhooked and the carb plugged. Turn the distributor until it smooths out and runs good. Which was about 20*. Hooked the advanced up and checked with the timing light. That is where we see the 60*.

So once we hook up the advanced do we readjust the distributor to 15-16*?
 
DO NOT readjust the timing with the advance hooked up.

You have your total number without advance hooked up? You need to do that first.

Initial, mechanical, curve, vac advance in that order.
 
the vac adv may need to be adj but leave it unplugged for now and check you total adv(advance) with out it. what is it now?
 
crackedback said:
DO NOT readjust the timing with the advance hooked up.

You have your total number without advance hooked up? You need to do that first.

Initial, mechanical, curve, vac advance in that order.
Click to expand...

OK now I feel dumb. I thought mechanical was with the advanced hooked up.

OK initial is with the advanced unhooked, carb plugged at idle.

What is mechanical?

What is curve?

Vacuum advance is obviously with it hooked up and nothing more should be done.
 
straightlinespeed said:
OK now I feel dumb. I thought mechanical was with the advanced hooked up.

OK initial is with the advanced unhooked, carb plugged at idle. Yes, With the "Vacuum" adv unhooked. you have a vac and a mechanical adv

What is mechanical? Counter weights and spring, in the dist. that advance the timing with rpm.

What is curve? How many degrees the weight and springs give you.

Vacuum advance is obviously with it hooked up and nothing more should be done.
Click to expand...


The vac adv can be adj but seldon need attention. BUT is the last step. leave it unhooked for now.(it only advances the timing under vary light loads, and goes away as you lay into the go peddle.
 
50-60* with the vacuum advance "all in" is perfectly normal

As others have said, play with your timing WITHOUT the vacuum hooked up. All it does is at LIGHT throttle, when intake manifold vacuum is HIGH it advances the timing "more" and gives you better mileage.

But for "power" IE lots of or full throttle, acceleration, the initial + mechanical is what you want

Mechanical is just what it implies ---centrifugal weights in the distributor try to fly out at greater RPM, moving the advance mechanism. This is controlled by SPRINGS which weak, weaker, stronger, etc, control "how fast" this happens

The length of the slot in the mechanical mechanism determines how many degrees the mechanical / centrifugal advances, while the springs control at what RPM

Try not to get confuses, as "the books" usually describe the mechanical and vacuum advance specs in "distributor degrees" which is 1/2 "crank degrees." That means if you have a distributor with 15* "distributor degrees" that is a WHOPPING 30 at the crank--and that would be a stock/ "smog" advance.

Many distributors have the advance no. stamped on the mechanism. This is DISTRIBUTOR degrees.....................

weights and the slots. Springs have been removed............

mopp_0301_06_z+mopar_electronic_ignition_system+mechanical_advance_plate.jpg


Stamped on the bottom, this 15* is 30 at the crank, "a lot"

mopp_0301_08_z%2Bmopar_electronic_ignition_system%2Badvance_plate.jpg


FBO sells an advance plate which allows you to adjust factory distributors.................

limiterkitcws.jpg


Go way down to the left side of this page

http://4secondsflat.com/Ignition.html

and look for the

J685K Limiter Kit All Mopar Electronic Distributor


So the relationship is "all additive."

You set the timing with "initial" advance, what it is that you set at low speed idle. This is with vacuum UNhooked, and idle FOR SURE low enough that the centrifugal (mechanical) is NOT "kicking in."

The vacuum is whatever "is in the can."

So you set initial, at high engine RPM you add whatever mechanical is "in the distributor," and at high (enough) RPM that the mechanical is "all in" and you are cruising at light throttle, you add what the vacuum is doing. All three added.
 
Awesome, Thank you guys for the explanation. Im not totally sure how to gauge the springs and weights, and since I wanted to know the HP of this engine anyways. I think Im going to bring it to the local dyno shop to have them fine tune the timing, and carb. Its running really rich and I believe its the metering rods. I'll let them tweak it all and get this thing running perfectly.
 
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