timing (1 Viewer)

[brian]

i can deal with any mechanical problem however just about anything electricial is over my head.so.......

when timing(let's say on a 78 2F with an HEI,just for conversial purposes).

do you line the pointer needle up with the silverish ball on the flywheel or X far from it.

i ,erra my friend just checked my ,erra HIS timing and just lined the needle up with the ball.it seems to run pretty good like that,but could it run better. i like how it runs now but hey , if there's more there why not use it.

 

[FJKen]

Brian: I have a '76 with a vacuum retard distributor..U.S. model. Not sure about '78...but the proper alignment for mine is 7 degrees below top dead center. Top dead center is where the ball and the pointer are aligned..To retard timing, that is, to have the spark plug fire after tdc, the ball should be above the pointer. To advance timing, the ball should be below the pointer as the timing light fires. Some guys advance their timing to give a little better performance in the low rpm area.

I'm sure some of the much more skilled tekkies can help you more. You'll notice that as you rotate the distributor and advance timing, the engine idle will increase.

Let me know if this makes any sense to you...Cheers!