Seeing conflicting timing specs, not sure which to believe

There's an underhood sticker on my 69 skylark 350 2bbl that tells me the initial timing should be 6* BTDC but I keep seeing other places that for that year it should be 0*

Did the previous owner install an aftermarket sticker or what? At 6* BTDC with a brand new vacuum advance hooked up to manifold vacuum and stock springs in the distributor it seems to run good, but starts hard.

 

68 and 69 Skylarks are TDC.
An exception would be distributor replacement.

You could start at TDC and do power timing procedure and some testing to see what makes the engine happy.

I have seen swings in some engines from specs, and especially when people change cams, distributors or anything that shifts timing around including altitude changes.

 

I'm thinking the radiator top plate was replaced. That sticker is in suspiciously good condition for a car this old. I believe the distributor is stock, or was until I put a pertronix ignitor kit in it if that changes things. Currently raining or I'd go look for a model number. Seems to me I just need to make it 0*

 

it stopped raining, i went and checked the number. it's 1111938.

 

i already did replace the vacuum advance. the one i took off was pretty much frozen, i could barely make it move with my hands. I have the new one disconnected and the hose plugged. Now im trying to set the timing and guess what's stuck again. what's REALLY weird to me is that the initial timing isn't the same as it was when i got it back from the shop after the distributor being stuck before. I checked it when i got it back and it was at 6*. Now it's well past the top of the tab with no vacuum advance.

Also from the looks of the housing, the only way the shop got it to move was by hooking a screwdriver in a gap and beating on it. I think this distributor is beyond normal people problems, I need to find an expert in Raleigh that can actually fix it. I'm pretty sure that if it were vertical instead of diagonal and you hooked it to a fork lift, you'd lift the car before you pulled the dizzy out. The only other time I've seen anything stuck this bad was when I took the exhaust manifolds off to replace the gaskets. We ended up having to burn the heads off the bolts, pull the manifolds over them, and only then could we get enough heat far enough down the threads to free them up.

 

I'm going to have to hammer this thing out from the inside, aren't I?

 

I really hate to ask, as I don't mean to sound insulting, but you have loosened the distributor hold down bracket?

It is on the right side of the distributor shaft housing just behind the water pump and is a 9/16 bolt.

 

Does your distributor have the square on the housing shaft ? If so use it and a good pair of adjustable wrench, leverage will move it. Most the early distributors had a smooth shaft so that may not be an option, assuming the bolt is loose as mentioned above

 

The bolt is loose to the point that the hold down just flops around. Distributor doesnt appear to have the square.

 

Climb up in the engine bay sit/squat on the lh inner fender remove dist cap and grab it under base and pull up as you twist

 

Once out clean the hole with a scotchbrite and the same with the housing, if needed put some 320 paper and twist it around it a few times

 

I deadlift almost 400lbs and I don't think I could make that sucker budge. I don't think a man exists that could yank it out that way. I dont think the jaws of life could do it. this thing is stuck beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. Even if I could take a sledge hammer to the bottom of it I'm still not sure I could get it to come out.

 

MAYBE if we had ANY idea where you call home someone in the area can help???

 

I'm in Raleigh NC, I thought I mentioned that.

 

I still can't get the distributor to move, but i figured out a way to mostly compensate for now. I bent out the arm on the vacuum advance so that its starting position is further retarded. It still adds the same amount, just over a different range. Doing this took 8-10 degrees out at idle. Now with the vac advance NOT hooked up it's at 6*. Still not right, but better than 15ish. Puts it in the realm of decent starting and driveability, at least. From here, I'm going to drive it some and soak it with liquid wrench at least a few times a day, and try to turn the distributor again after a week of that.