It's the only pic that I have at the moment...but if you look at the 12 o'clock position the mark to the left is what I believe to be 0 and the raised section just to the right (exactly 1 3/4 in) has a line through it also...just not visible from this angle.
See if you can get a picture of the edge so I can see the marks. The factory mark is normally very thin. That notch at 12:00 looks very big to me. We are talking about very small distances here. 30* is 1.75". 1* is .06". The factory mark wouldn't be that thick.
The thinner mark with the projection is the factory mark. That other notch to the right side of the picture, I don't know what that is. I believe I can see your 30* mark on the left edge of the picture.
Well good...that makes things easier! So just put in the firestroke and if it doesn't fire, rotate the dist 180*?
I want you to make sure that the distributor is actually making a spark. Back in the day, I would simply remove a plug wire and position it near a ground, and crank the engine to see a spark. Today, I have a spark tester. Looks like a sparkplug with a clip on the end. Make sure you are getting spark first. Otherwise, you'll be chasing your tail. The distributor might be in right. If you are getting spark, and the engine won't run, the distributor is probably in wrong. Start from scratch. The spark must occur on The Compression stroke. That is why I told you to remove the #1 sparkplug, and cover the hole with your thumb. The crankshaft turns twice (720*) to fire, and exhaust all eight cylinders. When the factory mark is even with the 0 on the timing tab (scale), the #1 cylinder can be on the exhaust stroke, or the compression stroke. You need it to be on the compression stroke. Verify you are on the compression stroke. Then position the rotor tip to align with the #1 plug tower of the distributor cap. Also, I may not have to mention this, but I will anyway. Make sure the distributor is seated all the way down, and the hold down bolt is tight enough to prevent the distributor from popping up. The bottom of the distributor shaft drives the oil pump. If the distributor is not seated, or it pops up upon engine start, you will have no oil pressure. Be careful.
Thanks...I think I'm going to wait until my new carb and springs come in..do it all at once. This old carb gives me trouble on the day's first start anyway....but we'll see. I'ma a bored and impatient man on the weekends Thanks for the tips...
I think my wires may have been in some funky order on the cap. I moved #1 to ablout the 2-3 o'clock position and put them in order from there. Got the balancer to 0 and the rotor pointed near #1...fired right up...runs a little smoother now. Now how does this adjustable vacuum work...how do I adjust it and what exactly does it do?
well the 8.2 is actually pretty weak. the 8.5 which was offered in the 71 skylarks looks as stock as yours but is strong and cheap to build and the 2004r is bolt in deal. looking at the car you would not be able to tell the difference but driving it is another deal.
The Power Timing thread tells you what to do. I hope you understand how to check and set your total timing. You need to do that first before you concern yourself with the vacuum advance.
Alright, I got my recurve kit in last night and I set my initial to 14* I'm all in at 2500 rpm and my total is set to 30*. It seems to be happiest there so far. Still sluggish from a dig, idle has improved some and it pulls like a train from 30-60..even chirps the tires when it shifts. Still a dog from a dig though....will see how it does when I get my carb in. Here is a pic btw:
I need to adjust my idle mixture. I bought a vacuum gauge. Where do I plug it up? What vacuum reading am I looking to achieve?
just find a port on the carb that has vacuum at idle and connect the gauge there. There are a few different ways to set the idle mixture... Here is how I do it: disconnect and plug the vacuum advance connect the vac. gauge block all 4 wheels well seat the idle mixture screws lightly then back them out 2 full 360 degree turns start the car set idle speed to 650 RPM with car in gear adjust idle mixture screws half a turn each in and if vacuum raises then fine tune to a 1/4 turn to get max vacuum on the gauge. if the vacuum drops then go back half a turn to 2 and then add a half turn out and see if the vacuum raises re-set the idle speed if it raises up as you dial in the mixture once I have found max vac. in gear I turn them 1/8 turn in to ensure the idle is not too rich. There are other ways to do this, but this works well for me.
That makes sense. I am reading about 12" vacuum in gear...is that normal? When I put the car in gear however, my brake pedal get hard and the car is harder to stop (I have no idea what the vacuum is reading in gear...I'll have my wife give me a hand so I can read it tonight). Is this because my idle mixture screws haven't been adjusted while the car is in gear? Also...what should my RPMs be while in park....right now it's at about 1000.
You are contradicting yourself. You say in your first sentence that vacuum is 12" in gear, then you say you have no idea what it is in gear. 12" in Park is a bit low for that cam at 1000 RPM. The brake booster needs 10" minimum. You are probably getting below that in gear. When everything is right, your idle speed in Park should be about 900 RPM, and then drop of no more than 200 RPM in gear. That may require higher initial timing, and more idle fuel.
I meant 12" in park... ---------- Post added at 04:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 PM ---------- I really don't know why I'm fiddling with this carb...I have another getting here soon. Just for the knowledge I suppose. I will see if I can dial everything in tonight though. With this set up though...if I have everything dialed in right...I should be able to lay some rubber from a dig...right? That's not happenning. Pulls great from a roll though o No: ---------- Post added at 04:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:06 PM ---------- Here's another question: The stall I have in there now is the stall that came with the transmission I picked up from a craigslist seller. Unknown stall specs. It looks different than the original and was originally in a truck...that's all I know. My original trans was fried and the oil was filthy. Is there a way that I can easily decontaminate the original stall? I wonder if the unknown stall is a hindrance. The tranny is much stronger and apparantly has a shift kit in it as well.
That is another story. You have an unknown converter in there. It's entirely possible it is too tight. I thought you had a stock Skylark/GS converter in there. Converter stall depends on vehicle weight among other factors. A truck is much heavier than a car. Any converter will stall higher in a heavier vehicle. This is the first time I am hearing this little piece of information, and it's important:Smarty: ---------- Post added at 01:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:42 PM ---------- Decontaminate the original stall? Not sure what that means. To modify the stall speed, the converter has to be cut open. Not worth it IMO. Get yourself a stock converter, or have one built for your combination (better)
What I mean is: The original trans was so filthy that I was advisied not to use the original stall in the "new" trans because it would contaminate the trans with the dirty fluid. So my question is: can I flush or clean the original stall somehow and put it in? Pour new tranny fluid in it and shake it around...repeat...etc... until I think it's clean? ---------- Post added at 08:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 PM ---------- FYI http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?256526-Bought-a-used-Trans-Today&highlight=
