Probably bigger jets, not bigger carb?
Barrel and venturi size are different. Not just the jets.
Magic dust
Fewer snakes at that time of the morning.
Well, here is what I know about the timing. First, the emissions tag on the left inner fender says set it to 0. As previously mentioned, the stock distributor was rebuilt by a very experienced distributor guy. It looked great when it came back - as a matter of fact, you can see photos of the actual distributor under one of my chapters of "Bob's Component Resto". When he returned it to me, it looked perfect inside and out, and he told me that due to the recurve, the timing had to be set to 18 degrees before. I then brought the distributor to the guy rebuilding my motor and told him about the timing. The engine guy told me that had to be wrong, so he set it to the factory setting (0). As soon as we started the engine up and drove it off the lot the first time, the engine died as soon as we put the gas to it. So he agreed to set it to 18 as we were told, and the engine ran great. Why didn't it run at 0? Why did it run well at 18 (and now 19.5)? Beats the hell out of me. All I know is that, the way the motor is set up right now, it has never run better. Smooth, powerful, no pinging, no valve clatter, no hesitation, no stalling. I think it might be best to leave well enough alone. I know I'm not damaging the engine running it this way. I just feel that the more I monkey with it, the worse it will get. So something in the distributor rebuild caused this, but I'm very happy with the way the car drives. Additionally, perhaps my motor tuner has a different way of calibrating his timing gun with all of the fancy adjustments on it that I do not understand. Does this mean his 19.5 is actually 4? I have no idea. This is my fifth slant six that I've owned, and far and away the best driving one I've ever had. I don't mean to question anyone's observations on this topic - they're much appreciated and I'm grateful for the input. Thanks.
Are you checking the timing with the vac advance disconnected?
That's a definite possibility. If it was mine, I'd get a piston stop and find true TDC and find out. The good part about a slipped outer ring (if there IS a good part) is that all slant sixes are internally balanced. As such, he probably won't pick up any vibration if it has slipped.
He wasn't asking for an opinion on the dizzy/timing, simply shared it & is getting blowback, thread was about the 1920 Holley He found. None of Us know what's actually in that dizzy, advance limiters on weights/can, springs, etc.....the fact that it runs better as is tells Me sumpin's up that remains un-disclosed/known.
I hope you're not losing any sleep over this. Its doesn't really nag me because the engine runs beautifully. Theoretically, I believe that a slant six would run terribly with 19.5 degrees of timing cranked in. Everything that I've read supports 5-ish as the sweet spot, as you mentioned. The engine is running as if it were set at about 5. I like your theory of a slipped outer ring. I've never checked this, and I believe that this is the original balancer. Is there a simple way to do this with a visual inspection, such as two marks on the inner and outer that should be lining up? Thanks.
The positive-stop method is best way to do it in-car. Basically pull the plugs, and then thread a tool in place of the #1 plug that has an extension w/a rounded end that will contact the piston. Turn the engine CW by hand easy 'til the piston is seated against the stop, mark the damper at the TDC -0- on the timing cover, then reverse rotate it until the piston contacts & is seated on the stop again & make the 2nd mark at the -0-. Precisely halfway between those 2 marks is Your true piston TDC. If it is not on the notch in the damper ring, You'll be able to see/measure how many degrees it is off.
