Timing

[fordv8j]

on a 59A distributor, should the timing be set in the middle, or up or down below, to help to keep it cool, this is on side of distributor

 

[51woodie]

The distributor on my ‘46 59AB is set in middle. What do you mean by “keep it cool”?

 

[v8fordman]

You should have your initial distributor timing set on some type of machine…whether it’s a KR WILSON fixture, Sun machine or other. Any movement concerning your timing mark on your distributor is purely a guess on your part. I believe your timing should be advanced if you are having a cooling issue, but again you will be guessing.

 

[glennpm]

There are seven indentation marks on the crab distributor adjustment plate. The mid-point is stock and is 4° advanced. The spacing of the marks is 2° each.
This shows my distributor set at 6° advanced. I now run with 7°.
Too much retarded will cause the engine to run hotter.

This thread shows how to manually set the timing without a distributor machine.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338861&highlight=advance