alright last time i was on here i was takin my 390 to the next level since that 2 month period i have put on the hedman headers the pertronix ignitor the engine already has a mild cam 352 heads with larger valves an edelbrock performer 390 intake manifold with a carter 650

the problem is this when i give the engine gas its somewhat hesitant and it feels i lack power

why

is my timing off now due to the ignitor
theres no harmonic balancer but i believe some of the fe engines were internally balanced correct me if im wrong
so what do i do

this problem was here though before i did the headers and the ignitor

the engine use to back fire
is it in my carb is it runnin rich and how do you adjust im unfamiliar somebody help
there is a strong smell of gas when idleing in the garage
maybe eim answering my own questions but yall are the pros somebody help

 

ALL FE's(except 428) are INTERNALLY balanced. I believe you must have the early balancer(that has pulley groove in it?). It's still a balancer, and will have a timing mark on it.

After you installed the Pertronix, what did you set the timing to?

As for carb, ya sounds like it needs some tuning. After it's warmed up and idling, have you set the idle mixture? It's the two screws in the front/center of carb. They should start about 1 1/2 turns out(from just bottoming out). Turn each in til motors starts to loose rpm(then back out maybe 1/4 turn). This will lean the idle mixture down. If they don't do anything, then you'll need to a few more things before continuing.

 

as far as the timing i havent moved the distrib the air gap is set to .030 of an inch on the pertronix the idle mixture i havent messed with but will after i paint my drums today do comment on those two screws and what are the diff. between them

 

Air gap is not anything but clearance for the rotating parts. It doesn't affect timing or how it runs.

The timing has to be set after installing a Pertronix as the point that it fires is not anything that can be preset or perfect after installation. You need a timing light and a 1/2" wrench to loosen the distributor.

The two screws control the amount of fuel the motor draws while AT IDLE ONLY. One screw for each side of carb, so you need to make sure they are both set approximately the same(turns). Usually they come set at 1 1/2 turns OUT out of the box. That's a good way to start. Once truck is warmed up and idling fine, slowly turn the screws IN til you notice the idle start to decrease(listen carefully or watch a tachometer). Once you hear a drop, turn the screw back OUT about 1/4 turn. Do both screws, though after you are done, they should both be about the same number of turns out(from lightly bottoming out).

"IF" the screws DON'T affect anything even after turning them down to the bottom(lightly bottom, don't ever crank them tight), then the idle is too high and that circuit is not being used. There are two circuits in a carb, IDLE and MAIN metering. If you have to have the idle too high, likely the IDLE circuit is not being used, and it's drawing fuel only from the main metering area(the jets inside).

You need to get the timing set proper, then work on carb.

 

thanks for your help freighttrain

i will purchase the timing light this thursday maybe i shouldnt drive it in the mean time

thanks

 

Well, as long as it's not knocking/pinging and it gets you there I suppose it's good enough for now. I think it sounds like the timing is retarded, so it won't really hurt anything just be down on power, real sluggish.