Hi,
Not too long ago I did an engine swap on my 67 stang, from a 302 to a HO 302 from an 89 mustang. I got this engine from a guy who had already done the EFI to carb switch so it had a new intake manifold, and a 4bl carb. I drove the car he had the engine in before purchase and it ran great. I put the engine in my car, added a new Weiand intake manifold, new plugs, wires, and ignition coil. Not long after I got the engine swap done when I took it for a spin and something got the carb needle stuck open so it flooded out. After that I brought it in to a shop which then rebuilt the carb and set it up, but I guess they didn't look at engine timing. The other day I pulled out the timing gun and checked, and the timing was actually retarded. I read that the initial timing on these engines should be 10* BTDC. I am running 91 octane fuel so 10-14 should be fine, but I get engine pinging with that timing. It runs fine at 0 BTDC until I floor it and hit high rpms, which then causes it to backfire and lose a bunch of power. So I am hoping someone is kind enough to give me a hand in getting this engine running smoothly! Any help will be appreciated!

Oh yeah and with the Timing at 10* BTDC the engine cranks over really slowly as if the timing is advanced too far...

 

well i dunno the term but my truck is the same way and come to find out everything is backwards and thats how they build the engine cause i took it to get something done i forget but the mechanic was stumped cause nothing is where it should have been with cyl one at tdc so i think he said it was 180 out or something and basically where my timing indicator is backwards so i just learned to do that and i would suggest just playing with the timing so you can get an ear of what everything sounds like then you can time by ear which isn't as acurate but as the timing chain streches you can compensate for it also i power time advance it till it pings then back off about 2 or 3 degrees and i haven't had a prob yet and the back fire might be a flooding of the engine or a bad advance curve

 

It's possible the pointer is misaligned to the timing marks on your damper...it's even possible the damper pulley has slipped. You can dial in the timing with a vacuum gauge, making sure to keep the idle speed consistant.

 

But the Damper is keyed so it couldn't have slipped... I guess I should go out and get a vacuum guage and see whats up.

 

Dampers are 2-pieces of steel held together by a ring of rubber, basically. The outer shell with the marks can move in relation to the center hub that is keyed.