core plugs ,i use the rubber ones,as it is no easy task to get the core plugs,just have to loosen the state and let it hang down.  do not loose them into the block,drive them in on 1 side then grab them with small vise grips. clean the holes the ruber expandebels work fine for me

Good question! I'll make a point to check that for ya.

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So I got to cleaning my timing marks a bit. CLR is amazing stuff man. I'm prepping to do a timing check/adjustment soon, just ran out today and got me a Bosch timing light. Yes, I have never owned a timing light till now. The last time we did it was with my buddy Harald and he had a crappy Harbor Freight timing light you could barely see. Anyway, his mark it still on there actually and yeah if I remember right from seeing it. The guy that rebuilt my carburetor said the timing had to be set at 12o before TDC no matter what any car's factory manual says so that's what we did. I looked online tonight because I forgot and it looks like factory calls for 6o before TDC.

I gave the guy at Carburetors and More an email to double check what he said, I'll let you know when I get a response.

Interesting point you made Steve, about the fan flattening out up hills under load. Would never apply to my car and besides that we don't have any mountains here.
I've not heard of a factory flex fan letting go but I can imagine it is possible with metal fatigue. The fan on my car has a second piece behind the flex blade to spread the load so that it is not all on the rivets. I don't know if they are still sold but I remember early aftermarket fans were very basic and the entire load would have been directly on the rivets.

Most Y blocks will run fine at 12 degrees. The problem is the dampener ring that has the timing marks isn't always accurate as it can slip after years of use, a very common problem. Also check the timing at higher RPM with the vacuum advance connected to see if the advance is working. Did you have the vacuum advance disconnected when you checked the initial timing?

You cant just run 12 degrees without checking what the total timing is , as you just added 6 degrees overall and there will be a good likelihood of it pinging its ring off..[more-so with low octane]  Chances are to run that extra, which yes they do like you'll need to modify the distributor.



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

Okay so Chuck over at Carburetors & More emailed me back tonight and here's what he said about the new spec he recommends for his rebuilt carboretors:

The timing is for all carburetors  and all vehicles all carburetors   and all vehicles. It is for the new alcohol and methanol  based fuels.
  The spec is 30o BTDC..

So it sounds like this new spec isn't due to some internal change to the carburetor, but more of his personal experience/preference. It's the same thing as him recommending all his customers put a fuel regulator on their cars and limiting the pressure to 3. Apparently he's done a lot of research on the subject of ethanol fuel and found that ethanol froths up in carburetor bowls when being pumped at the regular pressure that mechanical fuel pumps pump at
How does this sound to you guys? Is this a reasonable timing spec or is this guy out of his mind? Should I try just going at the factory recommended 6 degrees? At least to see if timing is causing the overheating?

Also I'm new to timing, in fact I've only done it twice and the first time I was more watching it then doing it. BTDC isn't even shown on the dampener so... how do I know where that is to mark it? I think that's what my buddy was marking on there with the white ink, what he thought 30o BTDC was..  I think.

This is about 30o BTDC right?

30 deg. initial timing has to be a mistake. You probably wouldn't be able to get the engine to crank. Is that a weld mark on the dampener weight I see in the photo? Ranchero Jim is right, if your going to set your timing with a light you need to accurately determine your TDC mark. Or you could time it by ear by advancing it a couple degrees at a time and drive it a while and see if it pings under load, if it doesn't advance it a couple more degrees. Do this till it pings then back it off a couple degrees. 30 deg. sounds more like the total advance of the distributor.

I agree, 30 degrees would be the total not the initial at idle. I don't know what the LOD distributor adds to the total, assuming you still have an original distributor. But its important that the vacuum advance is working, a LOD has no mechanical advance, a lack of total timing will cause heating problems. Even 30 sounds a little low. I run a total of 36, 12 initial + 24 distributor on California special blend of fuel crap with no problem.

That looks like a weld to me, as well, in which case, it is past time to replace that damper.  If the age of the damper is unknown, then it is also past time to replace it.

12 degrees initial is fine.  However, as others have said, that is not all you do when you tune timing.  You also have to check the total advance and change the amount and rate of advance in the distributor, if necessary.

The white mark your buddy made is nowhere near 30 degrees.  You can see the degree marks and by the spacing of the marks, his white line is at 13-14 degrees.  If he timed it thinking that is where total advance comes in, then that could contribute to your overheating problem as the engine is severely retarded.
30 degrees does not make sense for initial timing.  If it is total advance, then it is too little.  If it is distributor advance, then it should be ok with the stock 6 initial but too much with 12 initial.  You want 36-38 total.  With 12 degrees initial, that is 24-26 from the distributor.

Timing by ear is a bad idea if you want things to be right.  I know loads of people do it and it has it's place like where a timing light is not available but you just need to get home - and when you get home, you put a light on it.  You can also have more advance than the engine needs without it pinging.  That can cost you power and fuel economy.  An ear is not a precision tuning device.


Lawrenceville, GA

Hey thanks for all the advice so far.

By weld mark do you mean that stuff on the left? If so that's just dirty soapy cleaner, I was just washing the timing marks off before I took the picture.

When I get home I'll definitely see if the advance is working. I know I'm getting good vacuum at least at idle. The wipers work great for instance.

Total timing and the advance rate are both controlled by the springs in the distributor right?

I don't know if this would have anything to do with it. But I've always found it strange that I never feel the car shift itself up when speeding up gradually. I just seems to rev progressively faster.. I always figured it was a fordomatic thing.. that they just shift really smoothly. But a timing advance problem would cause the tranny not to climb a gear while speeding up would it? Probably a dumb question.

I'll go home today record what my initial and total is, adjust the initial to 6, check my total again and take a drive and let you guys know.