X2, what does it idle at. The canister provides 14-18* of timing, so your idle timing should be around 18-22* providing you have enough vacuum to fully operate the vacuum advance canister.
After trading several e-mails with Comp Cams discussing timing, they suggested I try adjusting the timing to 14 degrees ATDC. I thought this was too high but it has seemed to work. As of now, no overheating issues and it runs much better. I re-adjusted the carb, drove the car and it seems to have fixed the issue. All of this was a result of incorrect printed info about timing in the literature provided with the cam. Their tech people were more than helpful. I suspected timing was the issue all along considering EVERYTHING (minus radiator because it was super clean with great flow) in the cooling system was new. I had never used this particular cam in the past and followed all the instructions concerning degree and timing. I should have trusted my experience and gut and set the timing as I would have on other previous rebuilds. Thank you all for your input and help resolving this issue. Now to find a right exhaust manifold!
Cam timing is valve timing, the valve events in relation to crankshaft position. It is adjusted when you install and degree the cam. From then on, valve timing for all intents and purposes is set and remains constant. Ignition timing is the timing of the SPARK in relation to crankshaft position. They are not the same thing. Ignition timing is adjusted by rotating the distributor. 14* ATDC would be 14* AFTER (retarded) TDC. That would make it run even hotter IF it ran at all that retarded. Most cams go in 4* advanced. That is cam timing, not spark timing. You advanced your initial SPARK timing to 14* BTDC. When you advance your initial timing, you add that amount to the total timing. If by some miracle, you still have the original distributor from 1971, it will have part number 1112077. It has between 16 and 20* of mechanical advance. In that case, with 14* of initial advance, you would have between 30 and 34* of total advance which should be near perfect. If you have a different distributor, you need to check your total advance.
After I re-read my post I realized I typed ATDC when I meant BTDC. It was running hot at 4* BTDC. The change of 10* made the entire difference. The cam is installed at 4* advanced. I am not sure if the distributor is original but the car only had 80k original miles but someone had already been in the engine because it had Felpro head gaskets and gobs of sealant around the water jackets when I tore it down. It definitely did not go back like this!
Just look on the circumference of the distributor for the part number, right below where the cap sits. 1112077 is what you are looking for. Was the timing set with the vacuum advance disconnected and plugged?
Set unplugged and really didn't change when vacuum restored. Upon manual acceleration it did, as expected. I will look for the part number tomorrow.
If you hooked your vacuum advance up to manifold vacuum and you didn't notice a bump in the idle speed, the VA is probably not working. Check it with a vacuum pump and/or timing light.
