ok i am a moron so please remember that

i installed my distributer no prob
got it close enough so that it cranks, idles, and runs,
now to dial in the timing

i understand that the timing should be set around 6 BTDC on my 68 289 with the vacuum line unplugged from the distributer

Now I have a mark on the TDC line on the balancer

do i turn the **** on the light to 6 degrees and use the TDC mark now

or do i mark the balancer at 6 and turn the light to 6

and worst case scenerio
can i leave the adjuster **** to 0
mark the 6 degree mark on the balancer and just go that way

please help

thanks

 

I always put a heavy mark at TDC, and a full line at 10, 20, etc. with a half line at 5, 15, 25, etc.

With an adjustable, set the timing gun to 6* and line up TDC.

6* is a good start, but be sure to fine tune the timing for best performance. Also, idle speed will have an affect on timing. For that reason, I set my idle to 1000 rpm and adjust the timing there. Advance the timing 1* and see how it runs to make sure it doesn't ping or buck the starter. Once you hit the pinging/bucking point, back off to alleviate these problems.

 

awesome thanks
i have always used a normal one in the past and just marked the degree i was looking for
and since i got the gun used no instructions

cool

 

That works for setting base timing, but total timing is just as important. You should have all your timing in by 3000 rpm. Lets say you want to have 32 degrees total (base+mechanical advance=total). Set tyhe dial for 32 degrees and rev the engine to 3000 rpm, the you the mark for 0* should line up if you set things right. Of course the springs in the distributor will affect how much advance you have and how fast it comes in, but you still want to know what your total advance is.I hope this is not confusing to you. If you need help PM me and I can try to explain it better.

 

yeah i think i have it
right now
at idle with the vacuum hooked up
the tdcmark lines up at the pointer when the dial on my light is set at 30 degrees
i am guessing that isnt right

i need to unhook the vacuum lines (dual advance dizzy)
and see what it does