Wouldn't it just be easier to get a Chilton's or a Haynes or look it up on-line rather than arguing whether or not the closest cylinder to the rad is the #1? :grin: John, didn't they have a mark on the pot which was the #1 on those old round engines? I seem to recall that they were marked, otherwise it was like Doc said, take a look at 24 cylinders and try and figure out where to start. I had a lot of fun working on a round engine but it's been a while. Herby, rule of thumb on the nailhead; - #1 is passenger's side front. Primary ignition Timing can be anything from 5 to 9 degrees Before Top Dead Centre depending on a number of factors as stated in a previous post, so I'd use a vacuum gauge and set the timing by maximizing the engine vacuum. It may require a few test runs to get it right, but you want to set the timing so that when you press the gas to the floor on the highway it pings once and then starts pulling hard. However, the dwell on the points is crucial, and this has to be set correctly prior to setting the timing. I believe that dwell is between 25 to 29 degrees on a nailhead engine. Alles anders ist wurst und macht nichts...:laugh:
No one stated that the #1 wasn't closest to the rad on a nailhead at all. It is not an argument.It was a statement about v8 engines in general,where the #1 cylinder was located. W
