Tuning and Timing ?

[rover24]

My truck runs poorly when I set the timing to the BB. If I turn the disty counter clockwise ( I think advance ) it runs better. If I turn it all the way advance it runs really good. I thought maybe I was a tooth off so pulled and reset disty and same thing.
Anyone else have this. Is there something im missing? I ran the timing light with advances plugged. Should I just run advanced and be happy that it runs good? I feel like It could still advance a little more, but there is no adjustment left.

I get about 21hg of vac. at this setting and 16hg at fsm setting.
I have gone through all vac lines, new fuel pump, rebiult carb.

 

[Pighead]

Should I just run advanced and be happy that it runs good?

Yes.
The older our trucks get, the more individualized they become. Factory settings mean less and less. Timing by vacuum gauge is perfectly acceptable. I time to best vacuum at the idle speed I want and then back off the advance just a hair.

 

[tclark]

Wouldn't hurt to double check your dizzy again; mine was acting the same and it took a couple times to get the teeth right.

 

[jmccandless]

Interesting to know...

I just had my 60 smogged and it failed initially because of (among other things) the timing was out of spec., supposedly it was advanced. They set it back to 7 degrees to pass that portion of the test.

I have to say though that it ran a bit better with the timing advanced in town and at top freeway speeds (up to 75mph).

 

[caserique]

I've been messing with my timing for a couple months now and it seems like the more I retard it (I think it's retarding it--as I move it the idle drops) towards TDC the more low end grunt it has. I probably have it at halfway between the bb and the line right now and it's running awesome. I just got through cleaning out the carb and fixing the manifold leaks as well which turned out great.

I say get it close with the light and go back and forth till it drives the best.

 

[rover24]

I just put in a reman distributor because my main advance diaphram went bad, it would not hold vacuum. It still like to be advanced alot. With the timing set to the bb it has good low end but no mid and top end.
Im very happy with the way it runs now, but can never stop tweaking.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Make sure the reman dissy is working right. Have seen 2 different remans w/ major problem. One still had the centrifugal advance rusted solid (It had been cleaned & painted, but not repaired) and another had the wrong vac advancer that gave almost no advance.

Just sayin...

 

[littlebill31]

Thanks for the imput guys. Good to know.

 

[gmog]

Desmog and Timing

This is an interesting thread. It adds to my thinking on the Desmog question.

So, when doing a Desmog, couldn't one compensate for the advanced timing by simply backing the timing off a few degrees? Is it really necessary to have the dizzy re-curved?

And speaking of re-curving the dizzy, is it possible to do it for yourself? I have yet to look inside the Cruiser's dizzy, but old VW dizzies are adjustable by changing the spring tension in the centrifugal mechanism. One can make an adjustment and check out performance by seeing what timing does at various RPMs, and by driving it too.

As for the vacuum advance, does the Desmogged dizzzy have a different vacuum pod? I bet it's the same, and all the adjustment is done in the centrifugal mechanism.

Just some thoughts/questions . . .

 

[rover24]

You can buy different springs for mallory and accel distributors, I dont know that they fit the stock but they look like they would.
Im not sure if the desmog requires less advance or more. I would think less. If thats the case maybe heavier springs.