<VV> Engine issue

[Chris & Bill Strickland]

>>... the excessive distributor timing required.  
>>

The true question is not what your initial timing setting is, but when 
is it all in and how much total (initial + mechanical) -- I do not 
consider 18 degrees to be excessive initial timing, if all else 
follows.  What you want is for all the non-vacuum advance to be all in 
by about 3000 rpm or so and at that point the total advance to be about 
32-34 degrees, depending on what you have available for fuel.  Obviously 
this Rule of Thumb depends on the size of your own thumb.

This is easy to do on the car with either an adjustable timing light or 
a degreed harmonic balancer and a tach of some sort.

Excessive timing should effect all cylinders, not just #2, so I'm 
thinking it is more likely something that could effect that individual 
cylinder; however, as a stop gap measure to drive it until you figger 
things out, back the initial timing off temporarily -- 8-12 degrees 
should work -- or get one of Sedman's 'little black boxes'.

Bill Strickland