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Vacuum gauge is pretty cheap. I found this vid pretty helpful:Every single time, no one ever mentions the most important diagnostic. Vacuum measurement. No point in guessing when you can have empirical answers to point you in the correct direction.
Connect a vacuum gauge and read the vacuum. Engine dying when braking means low vacuum when the booster takes over.
If you have under 19-20inHg of vacuum, fix the leaks, then set base timing at 7* and learn how to do a lean drop on the carb. Since it doesn't have smog testing needs, the final "lean drop" isn't necessary, just tune for best idle/strongest vacuum (650-750rpms, though I prefer to stick around 670).
Go download the 2F FSM and go STEP-BY-STEP in the tuneup section, don't skip a section or think it's correct. This is how you'll have a healthy running truck.
You set the intial timing with the vacuum advance disconnected. After setting the timing and plug the vacuum back on to the distributor the vacuum advance/retard takes over.
I can get her idle and sounding fine but the BB is way off to the right. If I advance the timing gun to around 15* I can bring the BB back and around 20* it’s dead on.
Either that, or perhaps he is using a dial-back timing light, and didn't set the dial back to zero?