Yes, it needs to be at idle speed. If the engine is cold, the idle will be fast. As engine speed increases, the mechanical advance adds timing. You don't want ANY mechanical advance in when setting the initial timing. RPM is irrelevant to what you are doing now. You just need the engine at slow idle speed (800 RPM or so) You are getting AHEAD of yourself. See if you can set your initial timing first.
Do I need to worry about the #1 cyc being TDC before I do anything to set initial timing or just plug vac , let it idle to warm engine normal idle then check initial timing?
ok, I need to stop watching all the video's out there for setting timing on like motors, everyone has diff takes on what to do and at what time in the process. ha ha
If I am really at factory spec of 4* initial what really are the chances my over heat issue goes away after timing is set right? Seems to simple a fix.
I think your running hot problem has to do with several factors. The radiator is probably tired and partially clogged if it's old. The timing and vacuum advance will help.
Good recommendation of a place I can get a radiator? Car will be always stock so no need for fancy big bucks radiator. Is it a 2 or 3 core unit?
Might be a 2 core. Open the cap and count the rows. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...50cid+v8,1023028,cooling+system,radiator,2172
ok, this timing thing is bothering me. Ha ha ha Seems easy but I am still overthinking, sorry. Let car warm up to oper temp, normal idle, turn off, plug off vac line from carb that goes to vac advance, then start it up and point the timing light at the harmonic bal where the numbers are located and if correct based on what you all say here I will see the flash show at 4* or where ever if it has been messed with, then I adjust the distrib till the light mark hits about 12-14?? Then tighten the distrib back down till I get instruction from you all to then get that total 32* measurement at 2500 - 3k rpms??
I don't need to set TDC which I think is the Zero on the balancer with the POINTER pointing right on Zero?
No, why would you need to do that? The timing light flashes every time the #1 cylinder fires. That freezes the visibility of the timing mark so that you can see it in relation to the scale. The only time you would need to establish TDC would be if the distributor was out of the engine and you were re installing it.
I had no idea why. It is what I see on some video's and they fail (or assume the person, me, understands) to say it is on new/re installs of distribs.
So what is the pointer (I see some of these have numbers on them) for at the balancer if you are reading the marking on the balancer with the light, just to set things like TDC?
The part with the numbers on it is called the timing scale. The line on the harmonic balancer is the timing mark. Above is what it looks like when you shine the timing light at it. The timing above would be 6* BTDC.
But I am not reading off that indicator correct? It only goes to 12. I thought there was a set of numbers on the harmonic bal I was going to be looking for my 12*
No, you are reading off that indicator (scale). When you turn the distributor, that line will move. Line it up with the 12.
