Anyone tried putting timing marks on a flattie?

Depending on what's in the engine, stock or modified. I like to have the mechanical advance go to 20 degs BTDC at @2000RPN. This is a good starting point. Next set the vacuum advance to 8 degrees, for cruise. Again this is just a starting point.
Those of you using the original pre 49 distributors will have to live with the built in advance and tere's not much you can do about it. You can however grind the advance slots but you can't change the springe pressure on the weights. The trick is to get the vacuum plunger set right??? I plan to putz with this when I have time.
 
Gentlemen.

In the photo examples of both "hotcoupe" and the thread linked by "Mart" the pointers have been installed on the passenger side of the engine. Is there some advantage to the passenger side as opposed to the drivers side?

Thanks.
 
I'm gonna take a guess here at the risk of lookin like a dumbie. Does the marker position on the timing cover just depend on which cylinder you have chosen to take TDC from. You would then have to remember to connect your timing light to the same cylinder.
 
Heard said:
Hey Ron...excuse my ignorance but I want to make sure I'm reading this correctly. With the tie rap in there, are you saying the piston will come up and stop due to the thickness of the tie rap?
Click to expand...
Heard, I think the purpose of the large tie wrap is just to find top dead center. By rotating the crank until you get where you THINK #1 is TDC, and marking the pulley, then reversing the rotation until you THINK you're at the top and marking the pulley, the gap between the marks on the pulley divided in half is pretty close to actual TDC on the piston.
 
Yes that's correct ,usually no one, first front left facing the radiator.
66miles said:
I'm gonna take a guess here at the risk of lookin like a dumbie. Does the marker position on the timing cover just depend on which cylinder you have chosen to take TDC from. You would then have to remember to connect your timing light to the same cylinder.
Click to expand...
 
Heard said:
Hey Ron...excuse my ignorance but I want to make sure I'm reading this correctly. With the tie rap in there, are you saying the piston will come up and stop due to the thickness of the tie rap?
Click to expand...


This may have been obvious to some. but I just realised that it was not
specified to insert the head of a fairly large tie wrap to stop the piston.
 
Hey Hoop,
You got a chuckle of out me this beautiful morning in lalaland..lol
Hm, wonder if any will try to 'swallow' the crab/helmet to see if knowledge is absorbed :eek:
 
I think he means.....with the tie wrap in through the spark plug hole,pushed in to be over the piston,.. You will see it move when the piston comes up....or if you are holding it you will feel the piston come up. Matt in alameda
 
I put a crab dist on my 33 and the old 21stud had a timing mark on it, put on by me years ago. I was using my snap on timing light and I realised the advance just wasn't right. I stripped the dissy and found that I had managed to get the bob weight springs on the wrong side of the shaft.
All was well once I had put it all back together properly.

Having a timing mark is certainly very useful, especially if you have a decent timing light where you can dial in to read the advance while only having a tdc mark.

Mart.
 
Im drilling a 3mm hole in one of the bolts, silversolder in a bit of the drill in the bolt.

Use the methods named above to find TDC, and cut some slots in the pully.

Works all the time.
 

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I remember one of my old '60s something fords once had a small degree scale on the timing cover along with the usual #1TDC mark. It only had the one timing mark on the pulley. Seemed to work great. Would this be a good idea on a flattie?
 
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