ignition advance, not model A

Ya'll was typing while I was typing....
Once again Mitch is correct. I keep forgetting about those " dial back to 0" timing lights. With one of those you should be able to get real close.
Good Luck!
 
Rex_A_Lott said:
Ya'll was typing while I was typing....
Once again Mitch is correct. I keep forgetting about those " dial back to 0" timing lights. With one of those you should be able to get real close.
Good Luck!
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You got it REX... I use it on my A also...many on here are used to the original old school lights but the advance / retard type came out around the late 70's or so
 
Mitch//pa said:
You got it REX... I use it on my A also...many on here are used to the original old school lights but the advance / retard type came out around the late 70's or so
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Hey, I resemble that remark.:) I bought one of those lights back in the 80's, and I paid , what was to me at the time, a lot of money. Sadly, I never used it a lot, it sits unused over in the corner. I use the old school locked down one, unless I see something funny I dont trust and then I'll get out the other one to verify it.
Something happened, way back when, that made me not trust the one with the dial. I dont remember now just what it was....
My tune up kit is an old wooden box, with a vacuum gauge, a dwell meter, and that old locked up light, along with the tool to adjust the Chevy points while its running....I been getting by with that since the 80's.:D. I told my son-in-law the other day that I never worked on anything as modern as his TBI Chevy truck and he laughed at me.
 
Rex_A_Lott said:
Hey, I resemble that remark.:) I bought one of those lights back in the 80's, and I paid , what was to me at the time, a lot of money. Sadly, I never used it a lot, it sits unused over in the corner. I use the old school locked down one, unless I see something funny I dont trust and then I'll get out the other one to verify it.
Something happened, way back when, that made me not trust the one with the dial. I dont remember now just what it was....
My tune up kit is an old wooden box, with a vacuum gauge, a dwell meter, and that old locked up light, along with the tool to adjust the Chevy points while its running....I been getting by with that since the 80's.:D. I told my son-in-law the other day that I never worked on anything as modern as his TBI Chevy truck and he laughed at me.
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Funny stuff love it:). Lol
 
timing advance type light is nice but not a necessity.
Once you mark TDC on the pulley, measure one and 1/8 inches away, that is 25° advance. You can take it from there.
This measurement is only good for the more common 5.25" diam pulleys
 
Just in case there is any Plymouth interest. My father owned one of these in the early 50's. I think there were only about 6 or 7 made. This one has been exported to the US and seems to have been converted to LHD.

5498866775_6af9e89b4e.jpg
 
dave11 said:
I suppose one could measure the circumference of the crank pulley divide by 360 to find the distance between degrees, then file a mark at tdc and at 30 degrees, and verify with a timing light. Will have to ponder this option apposed to pulling the distributor and have it bench tested.
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First find TDC and make a mark on the pulley. (Do a Fordbarn Search, there are several threads showing how to do this.)

Print out this degree wheel to the same diameter as the crank pulley and glue it to light cardboard then hold it to the crankshaft pulley with a couple of magnets with 0º placed at the TDC mark and the center of the degree wheel at the center of the pulley. Then you can locate whatever degree you want.
 

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Although I have never heard it ping, the fact that I run 92 octane fuel may affect this.
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FWIW, years ago I could here an engine ping, not any more. I can still hear pretty good but I can't here the higher frequencies. I believe that some older people may have the same problem and don't realize it.
 
So.....to recap, does the (maximum) 30 degrees of advance apply to all engines regardless of design / compression ratio etc ?

Dave
 
dave11 said:
So.....to recap, does the (maximum) 30 degrees of advance apply to all engines regardless of design / compression ratio etc ?

Dave
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No, most certainly not. Re read tbird comments (number 8) above about all the different variables that affect timing.
 
dave11 said:
I suppose one could measure the circumference of the crank pulley divide by 360 to find the distance between degrees, then file a mark at tdc and at 30 degrees, and verify with a timing light. Will have to ponder this option apposed to pulling the distributor and have it bench tested.
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30° before tdc on crankshaft equals 15° before tdc on camshaft which seems to be a little less? I'd rather go with 45° btdc on crankshaft...
 
"30° before tdc on crankshaft equals 15° before tdc on camshaft which seems to be a little less? I'd rather go with 45° btdc on crankshaft..."

On this side of the pond we always think of advance in terms of crankshaft degrees, not camshaft degrees. The reference point is the crankshaft

If you run just about any motor at 45° I guarantee you will destroy it in short order
 
updraught said:
Just in case there is any Plymouth interest. My father owned one of these in the early 50's. I think there were only about 6 or 7 made. This one has been exported to the US and seems to have been converted to LHD.

5498866775_6af9e89b4e.jpg
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If this is a 35, I have a pal in western Sydney who has a complete unrestored one.

He mentions of like 5 or 6 he knows of left Australia , don't know about that few only being produced tho..
 
Yes, as Tbird said 45* will kill your motor, if it would even start. Higher compression takes even less advance on the Model A, and I limit my stock Model A to about 28* advance. Any more than that doesn't increase the power or speed and can't be helping the babbit.

I've got to believe there is a timing mark somewhere on that Plymouth. Chevrolet for years had you look through a hole in the bellhousing and line up a BB or some mark. I'll check my motor's Manuals, but I think they only go back to the late 30's.
 
pooch said:
If this is a 35, I have a pal in western Sydney who has a complete unrestored one.He mentions of like 5 or 6 he knows of left Australia , don't know about that few only being produced tho..
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This is a 36 which, from memory of old photos, it would have been at least a 1936. The numbers are also from memory from an article in Restored Cars mag years ago. My father always said it was rare and called a sports, and that it was one of two in Victoria. He was always going on about how it would leave the new Holdens for dead. Anyway, it looks good! More info on the photo:

http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/582619,11402/1936-Plymouth-P2_photo.aspx
 
Beatifull car Updraught, and Tom, no the Plymouth did not use any timing reference marks.
The procedure for setting initial timing is to remove the 1/8" NPT plug over top of #4 piston, then when the piston is coming up on the exhaust stroke, at .046" before TDC loosen the distibutor and rotate counter clock wise untill the points open. This sets the initial timing. However I think I will mark the crank pulley to establish some references. Just because if I follow Walter Chryslers instructions for timing the engine is sluggish, advancing the timing makes a huge difference. But I don't want to be damaging the engine.

Dave
 
Have you inspected the inards of the distributor? Maybe the weights and associated mechanism needs a good cleaning and oiling?
 
Katy, yes I have gone through the distributor (I have two, picked the best components from both) One thing that bothers me is the springs for the centrifugal advance. Who knows if they are the correct tension. Having a reference will help clear things up I hope. I am going to assume that 30 degrees advance should be the maximum.

Dave
 
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