mY 1977 F250 has a 460 in it. The sticker on the valve cover says the timing is supposed to be at 18* That dosent seem right to me? What should my timing be? i had it set at 10* for a few days it seems to be around where my engine runs the best. However there is a ticking noise when under load it also has a light bog at about quarter throttle. I can bypass this bog if i gently work the throttle up to WOT i can also bypass this bog if i stomp on it just past the bog point or higher. I am running a holley carb and have been tuning the last week or so on it. I think it is close but just a few small things have me uneasy.....The ticking noise, the quarter throttle bog. Is this ticking noise i hear considerd a PING? I am unsure what exactly a PINGING sound is supposed to be....is it lilke a small bell? or like more of a KNOCKING sound? I know what a engine KNOCK sounds like as my engine is more of a TICKING sound. Maybe it is the belt pullies or something else? I just want to get her dialed in. I also took vacume readings and adjusted my mixture screws to the highest possible reading on my gauge. The screws were only about 3/4 turn out is where my higest reading was. Im just afraid im running lean or my timing is messed up for some reason......

 

The best way i can describe "pinging" is the sound a bunch of marbles would make if placed inside a tin can and shaken.

 

Ya, pinging is more of a clatter sound to me..... When I was working on my dad's 460, it didn't run well at the setting on the sticker, so I timed it by ear at idle, and left it just loose enough that I could retard it when I heard pinging. Drove it around for a week, every time it pinged I'd retard, till no more ping, then tightened the clamp.
Not perfect, I think it'd wake up with a straight up cam timing set, and different springs in the dizzy (my dad's that is).
It already sounds like you know far more than me about carbs, so keep at her, you'll get it purring!

 

Thanks for the tips and encouragement....i will see what i can come up with

 

An old mechanic once told me the best way to set the timing was with a vacuum gauge - works well in higher altitudes... Connect the gauge to a manifold vacuum source and advance the timing until you have full vacuum - then back the timing off until the vacuum drops 1" and lock the dizzy back down...

 

Ok so i moved the timing back to 18* that is what the sticker says on the valve cover. I always thought it was way too high. (I have a 74 with a 390 in it and it says 8-10*) When the throttle is reved the advance goes up to about 30-32* this is in the ball park as far as i can find on all of the searching i have done. The truck has never ran better a noticeable power differnce and a nice smooth cruise speed. Still a very small bog about quarter throttle and still a small ticking sound, but it has diminished very much with my new timing setting. I may finally be able to dial it in now that i have the timing figured out.......i hope anyways.