Anybody using a MSD prog. timing computer?
Comments?

Moe

 

They sound awesome. Jacobs and I think Holley each have one also. It would work great on my son's 350 V-8 S10 pickup. He's got it set up for the drag strip, but he still needs and wants to drive it on the street...and, when he puts a little juice thru the carb, he'll need something to control the timing. He read a performance tip that for folks running at the local drags with an automatic tranny should have 20-25 degrees of INITIAL advance with between 40-42 total advance! It's hard to swap those little bushings to accomodate those timing changes.

'82 F150 2WD w/351W (orig 300 I6)
Slik

 

Hey Steve,
I pulled my dist. and replaced the advance springs to the 2 yellow ones that came with the Crane "adjustable vacuum canister" and flipped the gov. from the 15L to 10L slot, set initial timing to 18deg. to get 38 total at 3200rpm and she runs alot better but, seems like it has to turn over more to start after a couple days of sittin. What bothers me about the change is #1 starting and #2 runnin at full advance for long periods. I'm hoping a T.Computer could change the timing for conditions automaticly as my wife drives this thing from time to time. I don't want to get into the TPS, O2 etc.etc. to make it work though.

Talk at you later,
Moe

 

I think the timing computer is supposed to retard the initial timing during startup for the conditions you just mentioned. I need to get a new distributor and play with it a while, but it sounds like you have yours set pretty well. Does your dist have a vacuum advance? I just put one in my son's 350 S10 that does not have any vacuum advance which makes it nice for setting the timing. We're trying to dial his in at 14-16 initial with about a 38-40 total advance. 18 would be nicer if he doesn't start to ping. I run mine at 12-14 unless I tow, then I drop to 6-8. Maybe I'll bump mine up a few degrees and see how it runs. My last check on mileage gave me 14.5 and much of it was city driving on premium gas.

'82 F150 2WD w/351W (orig 300 I6)
Slik

 

>I think the timing computer is
>supposed to retard the initial
>timing during startup for the
>conditions you just mentioned.
>I need to get a
>new distributor and play with
>it a while, but it
>sounds like you have yours
>set pretty well. Does
>your dist have a vacuum
>advance?

Yes, I installed a Crane adjustable vacuum advance canister, I've adjusted it 1 turn out, then 2 turns out, then back in to 0 and don't notice a difference.

>I just put
>one in my son's 350
>S10 that does not have
>any vacuum advance which makes
>it nice for setting the
>timing. We're trying to
>dial his in at 14-16
>initial with about a 38-40
>total advance. 18 would
>be nicer if he doesn't
>start to ping. I
>run mine at 12-14 unless
>I tow, then I drop
>to 6-8. Maybe I'll
>bump mine up a few
>degrees and see how it
>runs. My last check
>on mileage gave me 14.5
>and much of it was
>city driving on premium gas.

I pulled my dist. last night and reset the gov. slot back to the 15L side and reset timing back to 12deg. to get it to start better, runs about the same which is OK for now. I really need to get the AOD in though. No matter what I do I can't get a really decent idle, and when I do it changes from Tank to tank. Looks like I've got to get back to the Super Prem. Feels like a crossfire so I changed to the $60 Ford blue wires and that seemed to help, but I still have a strange problem I can't nail down.

Heck, now the 911 needs a clutch, motor and transaxel drop, like you say "It just won't quit rainin"

See Ya,
Moe

 

It's always something. I had to replace my rebuilt TCI tranny and get my old C6 rebuilt. The TCI was trashed. It appears that I failed to put a gasket in the pickup when I went to a deep dish pan on the tranny. Also, the race car (circle track pure stock 4 that my 16 yo son drives) has been taking a lot of time. We're trying to get it to run faster and move him up a couple of spots.

Later

'82 F150 2WD w/351W (orig 300 I6)
Slik