I wanted to adjust my timing. How do I go about doing this with out messing things up? I am running a 351w. The reason I ask is a friend of my dads adjusted the timing a few months back and I dont like how it runs. After he did it the car exhaust was quiet and my rpms on my tach dropped drastically. Thanks
Loosen the distributor hold down bolt (the single bolt under the dstributor head, going thru the wedge into the block) Rotate the distributor clockwise to advance the timing (really need a timing light to do it right) slightly, this will cause the idle speed to rise. Sounds like he set it to the factory specs (6*BTC) which is retarded, litterally. SBF's like it set to around the 10-16* BTC range. Once you have the timing where you want it, lock the bolt back down.
Thanks. Thats what I thought I needed to do but just wanted to make sure. What are the advantages of it being at 10-16?
i use a vacuum gauge most of the time, set timing to the best vacuum reading and go, i find that with the garbage fuel we now have this is the best way for me.
Just the increase in idle speed tells you it'll run a lot easier with the timing bumped up. The ignition advance is there to allow the fuel/air mixture to reach the optimum burn as the piston reaches TDC, this allows it (F/A mix)to give the maximum thrust on the piston as it travels back down the bore. The faster the engine speed is, the more time the fuel/air mix needs to reach that point. As for timing lights ? I can't tell you what's best, I've bought a total of two timing lights in the last 30 years, The one I have works, but I cannot tell you what brand it is, I've long since forgotten that part. I don't use it often enough to know what brand it is. What you want to do is give it as much timing as the fuel you're running allows and still not have it pinging on accelleration. The higher the octane rating is, the more timing you can run as a general rule.
I have no experience with timing lights. I have been reading on using a light and it doesnt sound like the easist thing to use. Or am I wrong? From what I'm reading just turning the dist would not be a good idea. Is the vacuum gauge an easier way as suggested previously or can it be done by ear alone?
Timing lights are simple, one wire clips around the #1 plug wire, the other two go to positive and ground at the battery. Once it's hooked up, start the engine, and aim the light at the balancer where the timing pointer is. It helps to, to clean the balancer where the marks are and highlite the marks with chalk or white paint. Really simple once you do it the first time. Afterwards, it takes all of two minutes to check the timing.
