I live in Des Moines and Im moving to Virginia as my work is transfering me there. I have a truck that needs the timing set and Im leaving around late July. The truck has to be running so it can be sold, need help badly and Im in a bad spot with cash as the move is costing me an arm and a leg. Its a C10 witha sbc and HEI ignition. I dont really have any way to pay for this. I have some small bits of performance items to trade off for the help with timing this up. A 2inch carb spacer,edelbrock air cleaner assembly,holley performance tv cable bracket. Ive got a timing light and the tools in the garage with the truck and the timing specs but being that Im a amature mechanic and first time timing an engine up I need some help badly.

Jwill...

 

What are you trying to figure out, getting it set, or having someone set it? Depends on some things, but typically and older Chev 350 ran 8 degrees advance. Disconnect and plug the vacuum line, point the timing light at the stationary marker on the timing cover, and watch for the line on the balancer.Make the line match the 8 degree marker, snug iut down, hook up th ehose, and you're good to go. If you have a hotter cam, then that changes things.

 

I called comp cams on the camshaft thats in it and it should run about 10-12degrees initial and no more than 36 degrees total timing. Not sure how to figure total timing. Think I figured it out earlier this evening but I cant get the mark at the 10-12degree marks it bounces around too much. The truck was given to me free and Im moving and cant take it with, just need to get rid of it before I leave. Or atleast have it running decent enough that my buddy can sell it for me.

Jwill

 

It will bounce some, just gotta approximate, and if you are selling it, then they can deal with it as long as it runs to show them it does. I wouldn't worry much about total time for what you are doing. Was the timing chain also replaced with the cam? (hopefully) If not, that is the source of the bouncing, or the balancer can be bad, and has moved, and the timing won't set right. How does it sound at that setting? If it sounds ok, and the throttle responds good, call it done. If not, try to find a place where it does sound good, the throttle responds good, and it restarts good, and then quit.

 

The entire engine is brand new, less than 150miles when I got it and I can positively verify that. Last night a buddy and I were trying to set the timing and as I was using the timing light he was playing distributor jocky for me, the dist. suddenly jumped up slightly and We had to reset it. He suggested that we remove it, pull #1 plug and get a TDC which we did, after which he used a long screw driver to move the grooved button end down inside the block so that the rotor would point to #1 on the cap. It starts and sounds good now but my problem is this. It only matches up with the 10-12degree mark when at FULL retard, I can not move it counter clockwise anymore it stops right there. Secondly if I advance the distributor back to the position it was in when running 5 days ago before I replaced the intake gasket it will not let me advance it without stalling out? This is all very confusing and my deadline to have it running is monday. HELP! lol....

Jwill....

 

The oil pump is driven off the bottom of the distributor, that is what the screwdriver was for. You hopped one tooth when it did that. You need to lift it up just enough to move it to the next tooth, you can feel it do it,but keep in mind it won't go all the way down, then either manually turn the motor, or bump it over until the distributor drops on down, then lightly snug the hold down, and try that.

 

A friend suggested that I move the plug wires back counter clockwise one to solve the issue. I did so to try this and it worked as my issue of not being at full retard to run is solved however Im not sure if this is a good fix to the issue. Is it really the same as moving the dist. one tooth over?

Jwill

 

It is basically the same effect, just makes it a PITA for the next person, but won't affect how it runs at all.

 

ALRIGHT! Truck is running great and up for sale. I put the dist. back one tooth instead of the wire switch on the cap. For only a .262/.270 cam it has alot of bump to the sound of it. Sounds good hope it sells fast. Thankyou for all the help man REALLY.



Jwill