by donivan65 Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:33 am
Well,,,,,lets see,,,,,,let me start out with the complicated answer,,,,,you got 3 advances in that distributor,,,,,,turning it is for the base timing,,,,,like 6 BTDC so that the starter will crank easy and not be bucking against the timing,,,,,,,and thats good timing for idleing,,,,,,But then theres that nasty pinging,,,,,,that is controlled by the weights and springs and vacuum advance unit. And you don't even know what advance curve is in that HEI unit. There are hot rod kits for changing your advance curve,,,,,,,I surely like the idea of cranking up the advance going down the road. The easy way is dialing it in by turning the distributor,,,,,like highest vacuum reading or listening to the starter when you crank it,,,,if the starter slows down,,,,too much advance......I think there is a lot of noise if you are listening for pinging. So does your engine have a HEI cylinder head ? And that would mean it has the small 5/8" peanut spark plugs that can be set for .060 gap to take full advantage of all that High Energy. You are making things good,,,, and lets see if it can get better and finally best.......
