Hi gents. I have the 57 T Bird with a Fordomatic that had hesitation and very sluggish performance. As suggested I advanced the timing and it has made a huge difference. The issue now is the hard turn over condition which suggests the timing is too far advanced. If I retard the the timing just a hair it reverts back to the sluggish performance. I am sure running the car in this advanced timing is likely to harm the engine. I have read some other posts regarding vacuum advance, distributor weights etc., and I have some questions. Does the distributor have to be off the car to remove the breaker plate? I would like to check the weights to see if they are stuck or worn. I have tested the vacuum diaphragm with all the internal parts out with my shop vac. It holds a tight seal. With the diaphragm back on the distributor If I advance the breaker plate by hand and then put my thumb over the inlet of the vacuum advance canister it should hold the air in correct? My does not. It releases the air. Inside the Vacuum advance the parts a spring, a tube and the large hex nut. Is there any parts to create an air tight seal in the diaphragm. Are there any parts I am missing? Anything else I should know. I should probably have a mechanic look at it, but this what the hobby is all about. Thanks in advance (no pun intended)