Do you use a timing light ?

[V8 Bob]

Something that hasn't been brought up is making sure the point dwell is correct before spending/wasting time setting or checking timing.

 

[JSeery]

Good point!

 

[JSeery]

Bubba, when I assembled your helmet distributor,, was I suppose to retard/ advance distributor until I heard ping then back off. I'm a newbe at this. Thanks john

It is often hard to get a flathead to ping, so that method most likely will not work. Distributor should work as setup on the bench.

 

[wbedwards]

Just set the timing where it will run. Take it out warm it up. mash the gas at about 2000 rpm. keep advancing the timing until it pings a little ,then back it off till it stops pining. then your on the money .With the new gas and any mods to the engine there isn't any other way to get it right. Unless your lucky.

While my car is not that old, I messed with my '59 not running well at the proper timing markets for a long time until I did this tried and true method. This is how I did it long before I had the money to buy a timing light.

 

[JSeery]

Quote from Bubba earlier in this thread:

"Vacuum timing, spark knock timing and even starter kick back timing all work very well if you live in a cave somewhere !
(i am an old hillbily from Tennessee and have lived in a cave before and used all the above ) however that dont make it correct...
Find TDC and use a timing light !!!!!!!"

I would lesson to someone who knows what he is talking about! This is good advice for an 8ba engine which has the marks right on the timing cover. Other flatheads would need a timing mark added.

 

[Bored&Stroked]

Whenever I build a flathead (any year), I use a dead-stop and/or (dial indicator) and a big degree wheel to create a TDC pointer and mark, or validate what I have (later engines). Even on the later 8BA ones, I mark the lower pulley every 10 degrees - up to 30 degrees, so I can validate the total timing of an ignition. I usually setup my engines for about 24 degrees total advance (obviously when running and with a timing light to validate). Before I put the ignition in, I set it up on a distributor machine such that I know my total advance, the curve and how much I need of 'initial'.

On the setup below, the engine has 8 degrees of initial and I setup the Vertex mag to have 16 degrees of mechanical - all in by 2000 or so.

Here is a timing pointer and setup that I made for the 42 Merc engine in my 32 Cabriolet - added it to the stock 32 motor mount. My goal was to design/fabricate the timing pointer in a way that at least looks somewhat like something that came on the engine:

 

[Kahuna]

Here's the timing tape installed and a shot with the pointer

 

[Bored&Stroked]

Nice setup . . . good to see some other flathead nuts putting timing marks/tape on their pulleys - sure makes some sense now doesn't it. Love the brown caps on your distributor - just look cool now don't they!