Can we talk about Small Block ignition timing?

[Gary Lewis]

You didn't hurt anything oiling it.  It is supposed to move easily and smoothly.

But you should be able to get the idle speed down to 600 - 650 RPM easily - after adjusting the idle air/fuel mix.  But there may be some back and forth - adjust the mix, then the idle speed, then check the mix.  The reason it may vary is that you might have the throttle opened into the transfer ports and that will change the mix.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

You didn't hurt anything oiling it.  It is supposed to move easily and smoothly.

But you should be able to get the idle speed down to 600 - 650 RPM easily - after adjusting the idle air/fuel mix.  But there may be some back and forth - adjust the mix, then the idle speed, then check the mix.  The reason it may vary is that you might have the throttle opened into the transfer ports and that will change the mix.

Ok, I'll get to work on this...likely through the week. I just checked and my idle mix screws are 3/4 turn out.
According to my handy dandy Holley book they should end up somewhere between 1/2 and 1 1/2 turns out.

Oh, and my new AFR gauge should be here in a couple days as well, so I should be able to get the old thing dialed in pretty good.

So what do you normally do with the air cleaner being in the way? Make an adjustment, then stick the air cleaner back on, and repeat? Don't know if I can reach the idle mix screws with the air cleaner in place and I surely can't reach the idle stop screw...

[85lebaront2]

If you look at the maintenance information you are supposed to oil the felt when doing a tune up.

[Rembrant]

85lebaront2 wrote

If you look at the maintenance information you are supposed to oil the felt when doing a tune up.

Oh yes I knew it was supposed to be oiled, I was just wondering if I uncovered a problem as it might have been sticking before.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

So NEW is not necessarily GOOD.

Nor is new always correct!

I was cleaning up my work bench, and as I often do I was putting my old spark plugs in the boxes the new ones came in (I usually save them for a while, just in case) and I noticed one of the boxes was an Autolite 103 (I purchased 104's). The 103 is visually identical to the 104, but it's one heat range cooler (3, instead of 4).

Anyway, I pulled it back out of the engine and will return it tomorrow on the way home from work. May not have made much difference, but I certainly wasn't leaving it like that.

[Gary Lewis]

Just talked to Scott re the distributor pages.  They are on his new site, but the reason they don't show in the menu is that they are in the for-pay/member's section.  However, he sometimes posts links to them on other forums to save himself from having to type in all that stuff to answer a question, so he's happy for us to have the links as well.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'm a paid member, and I didn't see them.
But if he does have them behind the paywall, then it wouldn't be fair to have them up here.

For whatever reason, they still exist at RHP, and anyone can see them.
My links aren't to the waybac machine

[Gary Lewis]

Your links are probably from some place he's posted them on another forum.  He was happy for us to have the links.  No problemo.

[Rembrant]

Those distributor pages (both 1 & 2) have always been available via Google search haven't they?. I've been on them several times over the past few years.

I believe Ron sent his distributor to them for his 351w and has been happy with it.

I may send them might once the snow/salt hits and my truck is off the road.

[Gary Lewis]

I don't know how long they've been available, but they are available via this Google search.  Scotty may not know that Google will eventually find things even if you don't show them in the menu, and you have to take special precautions to ensure they aren't found.

Anyway, I think sending a dizzy to him would be well worth the cost.