47 Flathead v8 timing adjustment

S

Squadron

Member
I've read through the green book several times, tried searching around the internet, still can't figure it out.

What's the procedure for adjusting timing on a 47 v8 flathead. It's a round type distributor but the fan hub, fan belt, and radiator are in the way so I can't really get at it to see anything but the cap.

Anyone have good documentation on that? Do I need to drain and pull the radiator, or take the head off to adjust cylinders?

Do I just adjust what I assume is the vacuum break along the top, and listen to see what happens?

Literally never done a timing adjustment before and this one's a little odd because of the placement.
 
some information on whether the car is running as is and the timing adjustment will be essentially a tuning of the timing would be helpful to those interested in responding. or OTOH, the distributor has been removed from the engine and possibly been rebuilt and so needs a more extensive timing work.
 
hueyhoolihan said:
some information on whether the car is running as is and the timing adjustment will be essentially a tuning of the timing would be helpful to those interested in responding. or OTOH, the distributor has been removed from the engine and possibly been rebuilt and so needs a more extensive timing work.
Click to expand...

It's just a tuning of the timing - the car runs but runs really rich. This is part of troubleshooting to me - i'm also gonna measure pressure into the carb to make sure too much fuel isn't getting in there and double check that I've got the right spark plugs and gaps set.
 
hueyhoolihan said:
some information on whether the car is running as is and the timing adjustment will be essentially a tuning of the timing would be helpful to those interested in responding. or OTOH, the distributor has been removed from the engine and possibly been rebuilt and so needs a more extensive timing work.
Click to expand...

Also to get the distributor off, do I have to pull off the radiator as well? I can’t remove the fan hub as is there’s no space. I’m just trying to figure out if I should prep for a longer job like draining the coolant and removing the radiator or if this is something I can do without having to go through all that.
 
Squadron said:
It's just a tuning of the timing - the car runs but runs really rich. This is part of troubleshooting to me - i'm also gonna measure pressure into the carb to make sure too much fuel isn't getting in there and double check that I've got the right spark plugs and gaps set.
Click to expand...

You state that it runs, but really rich. I would take a look at a couple of carb related items before you start tampering with timing. Remove the carb and check that the needle, seat, and float are set correctly and working properly. Next, check the power valve (economizer valve) to make sure it's not leaking and dumping a lot of excess fuel into the manifold. Either of these things can cause it to run rich. A check of the timing and point gaps are also a good idea, but start with the carb and work from there.

Check out the link below - the economizer valve is part #9904. If you're not sure about the valve, replace it while you have the carb apart.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_fuelsystem-pics/Flathead_Carbs_ford1938to48.jpg
 
i wouldn't think of the timing as an issue if running rich and wouldn't consider issues involving the radiator or anything extensive.

and it would of interest as to the symptoms leading to the thinking of the engine running rich.
 
mcgarrett said:
You state that it runs, but really rich. I would take a look at a couple of carb related items before you start tampering with timing. Remove the carb and check that the needle, seat, and float are set correctly and working properly. Next, check the power valve (economizer valve) to make sure it's not leaking and dumping a lot of excess fuel into the manifold. Either of these things can cause it to run rich. A check of the timing and point gaps are also a good idea, but start with the carb and work from there.

Check out the link below - the economizer valve is part #9904. If you're not sure about the valve, replace it while you have the carb apart.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_fuelsystem-pics/Flathead_Carbs_ford1938to48.jpg
Click to expand...
Flathead_Carbs_ford1938to48.jpg
 
mcgarrett said:
You state that it runs, but really rich. I would take a look at a couple of carb related items before you start tampering with timing. Remove the carb and check that the needle, seat, and float are set correctly and working properly. Next, check the power valve (economizer valve) to make sure it's not leaking and dumping a lot of excess fuel into the manifold. Either of these things can cause it to run rich. A check of the timing and point gaps are also a good idea, but start with the carb and work from there.

Check out the link below - the economizer valve is part #9904. If you're not sure about the valve, replace it while you have the carb apart.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_fuelsystem-pics/Flathead_Carbs_ford1938to48.jpg
Click to expand...

Solid advice. Is it that much easier than pulling off the distributor? Based on previous discussions the carb is probably not suited to the car. Maybe. It’s a brand new one and the previous one was rebuilt by a mechanic I know twice, this one worked better than the old one - although it runs really rich.

It’s a long story and there’s a previous thread with more information if you are interested (https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350464) but I was hoping on getting more information on how hard it is to pull and re,ove the distributor anyway so I can figure out what is easy and what is hard.

I was hoping it was just a matter of fiddling with a screw similar to simple carb tuning but if it’s pulling the distributor off fully I think the radiator needs to come off.

Which would mean draining the brand new coolant, again.

I’m building a list though.

Pull off carb and check (somehow, if you have reference materials that would be great.. aside from gunk, I don’t know what to really look for, I’ll read up on this though). A question I have though is since I don’t have the original carb (the previous one wasn’t even original) I wonder if I should just sink the money into something more known. Maybe a rebuilt original?

Pull plugs, clean and regap (they’re new but this is easy). I did this before but I’ll do it again. I got a new gap checker that’s way easier to use even for a dummy like me.

Get an original air filter since the one on there is tiny if I don’t replace the entire carb.


Then come back here and figure out how to pull the distributor off. The manual doesn’t explain that, but maybe that’s my answer. Take parts off until I can get to it.
 
hueyhoolihan said:
i wouldn't think of the timing as an issue if running rich and wouldn't consider issues involving the radiator or anything extensive.

and it would of interest as to the symptoms leading to the thinking of the engine running rich.
Click to expand...

I don’t think there’s a problem with the radiator. But if I need to pull off the distributor to handle timing adjustments, I might need to pull the radiator off from what I can tell. That’s what I’m asking. Can I pull the distributor off without removing the radiator?

That being said, I agree. It’s likely the carb. But I want to know anyway which is why I’m asking. So I can be prepared eventually. Or buy a better guide that will help me.
 
From memory, it's easier to remove the distributor from underneath the car, I think you can remove it without taking off the fan.
Make sure the drive is engaged in the slot on the end of the camshaft when reinstalling.
You don't need to remove the radiator.
 
This is before timing lights were invented. If you ever have the #1 head off, you can make timing marks on the pulley and make a timing pointer that screws into the timing cover. If you're going old school and you don't have the KRW timing box to set it up with, I have a 1948 Motors manual that shows you how to set up the timing by using two steel straight edges with the distributer off. I tried it one day and then compared it to the marks I had made on the crank pulley for a modern timing light. I was pretty impressed; it was only off 2 degrees.
 
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Make sure you get power valve from dealers on this form or daytona carb in fl, the seal needs to be made for the carb to fit correctly or it will leak (run rich)
 
The radiator doesn't need to be removed to extract the distributor. You do want to protect the rad with cardboard or similar as you'll be removing the fan assembly to gain access.

If you aren't ready to try the straight-edge timing method (that actually worked quite well for me) consider sending yours to Third Gen Auto in Tenn and have Michael rebuild it.
 
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