How much Timing is to much? (3 Viewers)

[Pighead]

Even with my head next to the block I could barely hear it.

In my experience, the pinging is heard with the engine at speed and under load...

 

[Rgill]

Finally got ahold of my neighbor and got his timing light, 24 hours before a 4 day trip.
I believe I was at 15 degrees, but I dialed it back to a confirmed 13 just to be sure. I cranked it all the way advanced to hear pinging, and y'all were right, it is hard to hear. Even with my head next to the block I could barely hear it.

I am not sure it will ping (pre detonation) when not under a load. When I can hear it I am on a small uphill grade 3rd gear under 30mph then give it a lot of gas. If it is going to ping that will cause it my case.

 

[NMC_EXP]

I did the tappet cover gasket on my 2F this weekend including pulling the distributor out. I made sure to put the distributor back in the same rotor position as when I pulled it out. I did not have a timing light on hand to verify timing, so I adjusted it by ear and set it at the smoothest idle. My girlfriend was a little confused as to why it was so much quieter haha. When I restarted the truck afterwards, it took a few extra cranks but otherwise started up and ran fine. Going for a test drive it ran like a raped ape with no odd noises or knocking of any kind.
I'm sure the timing is plenty advanced now, my question is how much is to much? I like the increased power, I just don't want to go overboard and grenade the engine. I'm fully de-smogged with Sniper EFI and the MSD springs in the dizzy.

Long ago in the days of distributor points and timing lights, I was told by a master mechanic to ditch the timing light.

He told me to instead (with fresh points) to incrementally advance the timing. Take a test drive up a hill with a lot of throttle. Repeat this until it pings, then back the timing off until a hard throttle hill does not cause ping/spark knock.

This method optimizes spark advance to your vehicle, the gas you burn and your elevation ASL.

Never used a timing light since then.

 

[Rgill]

Long ago in the days of distributor points and timing lights, I was told by a master mechanic to ditch the timing light.

He told me to instead (with fresh points) to incrementally advance the timing. Take a test drive up a hill with a lot of throttle. Repeat this until it pings, then back the timing off until a hard throttle hill does not cause ping/spark knock.

This method optimizes spark advance to your vehicle, the gas you burn and your elevation ASL.

Never used a timing light since then.

Kinda what I did, the timing light just gave me a reference to set the timing in the future without doing the ping hill test.

 

[PVCsnorkel]

Long ago in the days of distributor points and timing lights, I was told by a master mechanic to ditch the timing light.

He told me to instead (with fresh points) to incrementally advance the timing. Take a test drive up a hill with a lot of throttle. Repeat this until it pings, then back the timing off until a hard throttle hill does not cause ping/spark knock.

This method optimizes spark advance to your vehicle, the gas you burn and your elevation ASL.

Never used a timing light since then.

That's how i set it at its current settings. after starting my trip this weekend with the timing set at 13 degrees and the truck barely wanting to move I stepped it up a little. Once I was higher in elevation I had to step it up again as it was not happy on the hills. I don't have an exact reading of what it is set at now, but the truck is happy and not pinging so I'm happy with it.

 

[Pighead]

Long ago in the days of distributor points and timing lights, I was told by a master mechanic to ditch the timing light.

He told me to instead (with fresh points) to incrementally advance the timing. Take a test drive up a hill with a lot of throttle. Repeat this until it pings, then back the timing off until a hard throttle hill does not cause ping/spark knock.

This method optimizes spark advance to your vehicle, the gas you burn and your elevation ASL.

Never used a timing light since then.

Alternatively, you can use a vacuum gauge to get you closer to your best timing. Hooked to ypur intake manifold, watch the gauge as you advance timing. Find your best vacuum then back the dizzy off half a degree or so. Then do your test drives.
I ditched my timing light because it was old fashioned and just blinked and was therefore useless once the BB disappeared.
So i timed mine by vacuum for a few years, in Denver, on good no ethanol gas.
Then i moved to Ca, to only 3k elevation and bad Ca gas and got the pings.
Got a new-fangled timing light and found out that i was 32*BTDC. that seemed a bit much.
Then i figured out that the dizzy advance diaphragm was shot and not holding vacuum (this is one of your 60 series Big Cap dizzies) so I switched to a new single diaphragm advancer that works better.
Now I'm running at 22*BTDC. I can still get it to ping if i try, usually i just back off the throttle.
This is on an early 2F block, bored 50 over with a Late F head, desmogged, so YMMV.