Mark - this shows the slots in the upper rotor shaft that control the total amount of centrifugal advance. When the pin shown in the 18L slot is switched around to the 13L slot it reduces the advance 10 crankshaft degrees. 

Don't pay a whole lot of attention to what is stamped on the weights themselves. 

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Steve.Sent another PM.Let me know if you did not get it.Thanks

  

Thanks Charlie?!This is something I am interested in doing once I get it straightened out.

  

Mark,

The next time you have the distributor apart, take a closer look at the weights. One side is most likely marked 13L. If it is, flip the rotor around so that the corresponding 13L slot is engaged. Try that for a while, play with the initial timing, and see if you like it. This shouldn't affect the current situation so there's no need to dig back in at this moment.


Lawrenceville, GA

Hi Pete! When I took it apart today I was looking for anything obviously wrong.Looked OK.Now the weights are the triangle shaped setup.18L on both  weights which I assume means 36 at the crank plus whatever initial advance would give total advance available IF all advance can be activated by engine RPM?How would I lock the weights?And yes the loss of RPM when put into drive is opart of the problem.Should be more like 25-50 as per shop manual.By the way I am getting real good at re and re the dist and getting it running again!

  

Steve! Sent you a PM.Let me know if you did not get it.Seems to be an awful lot of PM's getting lost lately. 

  

Mark

   You wrote"  am STILL working on my "won't idle in drive"problem.Think I might have found something.If I set the initial timing at 8 BTDC with all vacuum DISCONNECTED that should NOT change if it is put into drive? Yes or No? It is idling at around 700 which should not bring the centrifugal advance into play.Put it into drive-timing drops to 2 BTDC."

CORRECT. The timing should NOT change at all. If it is changing with ALL vacuum advance eliminated then it MUST be mechanical advance. How about if you switch the two springs on the mechanical advance and try it? What do you get then? Then lock the weights in a fixed position and try it. Seems to me that the loss of the extra 200 RPM from FOM in neutral to FOM in drive is causing a decrease in ignition advance and might be a big part of the problem. If you can find someone with a distributor machine that would be worth checking. Pete

Mark - Regarding the Holley carb

You shouldn't have to open the primary throttle to the point that the ported vacuum is active at idle. The throttle stop should hold the primary butterfles so that the idle transfer slot shows as a "square" viewed from underneath. I believe you've got the mixture needles all set-up by now, they should be withdrawn from "stop" a full turn or more - correct?  I don't know about you - but it is very hard for me to keep myself from playing with the primary throttle stop - but it will screw up the transfer slot / primary butterfly relationship every time. And you will get what you've got - other carburetor circuits are becoming active and defeating your opportunity to tune it.

On the carb, viewed from the bottom, there is a small set screw located beneath the vacuum secondary pot that functions as the "stop" for the secondary butterfly shaft. There is a "fixed" idle fuel supply available to the secondary and opening the butterflies a slight amount will provide fuel/air to the engine. Because the little inverted set screw is a pain to access - I usually resort to bending the little sheet metal tab above it with needle nose pliers a tiny amount. Often - this will allow setting the primary stop screw where you want it and provide idle air/ fuel to run the engine. Using this technique - leave the distributor vacuum line open and the two carb vacuum points that might feed it, plugged.

Another "air supply" for the engine is the PCV - it should be regulating itself as far as air flow - but the carb has to supply fuel for that air source as well. If you plug that PCV port on the carb - and fully tune the engine, hooking up the PCV to the valley later on will screw up your idle tuning - so it needs to be on there and working. Also make sure the choke system is out of your way and not providing a false "stop " for the primary - holding it open.

Tweaking the tab under the secondary should make it possible to get the engine running - with the primary stop located as desired - and get the engine speed into a useful idle set-up range. And you should be able then to unplug and "test" the ported vacuum source and find no vacuum.

The distributor should be able to hold your "initial" advance and always return there - if not - there is a mechanical reason that must be found.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Hey Speedbump. I asked Hoosier about verifying camshaft position to crankshaft TDC.On either #1 or #6 turn motor until both intake and exhaust are dead level(i.e open same amount).Crankshaft should be at TDC or very close to it.I did this and as far as can tell the damper is still accurate.Also wanted to verify that I did not install the timing gears incorectly.They are correct.16 BTDC marking is about centre of the wide spoke which was something that was posted on a topic awhile ago.I think my marks are still correct and as I said I added a tape when i assembled the motor for more accurate timing past the old useless marks on the damper.

  

You can buy or make an in car TDC checker to make sure that timing mark hasn't slipped and you're getting bogus timing info from the light.  While apart, lightly lube the weights on the pivots with thin film of grease.  Make sure the rotor shaft rotates, by hand, as far as the stop lets it(against the springs) and comes back to the same spot when released....and it should be smooth and easy.  In a stock unit, there should be NO slop at all when the the shaft is in it's non advanced rest position.  If there is, that could cause your timing to be irratic with changing rpm's.