Ignition timing help!

vic1969J

Newbie
Hello everyone, now I will start with the engine introduction. I am entirely new to carbureted engines per say, but I'm mechanically inclined. (Only 23) no one taught me so I'm learning.

So, the engine is a 67 year 300-2 barrel that I found from the block casting numbers.

I bought it from a guy who bought a truck that had this engine in it and i got it for 200 bucks because I really needed a buick to fit into my Jeep. And he said it started so I jumped on it.

The engine has had "work" done to it but as far as looks it has the oiling plate upgrade which leaks a bit, and I cant tell but the timing cover may have been replaced a long time ago because it didn't have a timing pointer so i bought one that bolted to it to replace the hangar wire that was in its place, AND Finally it has an ac delco HEI distributor.

I rebuilt the rochester carburetor (2g), replaced the ignitor, plugs, and the dist. harness because it didn't start when I got it, so now it does start and it will run but its not quite right, sometimes when I blip the throttle it'll kind of fall on its face like and it wont raise rpm nust make a woosh noise and almost die, it will gradually if I ease the throttle into it and sometimes it pops which leads me to believe its a timing issue. Before i rebuilt the carb it did the same thing.

I found that timing should be 2-1/2 degrees BTDC with the vacuum advance disconnected and plugged. Needs to be set at 500-550 rpm idle (my innova reads rpm), and in drive with a chock and parking brake set.

But what I don't know is which timing mark on the balancer, I found the online manual on this site and talks about a factory yellow line on the balancer, but thats gone all I see are two groves one with a 0 beside it and one with an 8 beside it. Definitely factory looking, but thats where I'm at now.

Thank you for reading, I hope somebody can help me with this!
 
Can't really help with your problem, but I'm doing something similar; putting a 1967 300 cu.in Buick into my 1943 Willys Jeep MB, (I bought it for my '66 Buick Skylark convertible but decided to use a 425 Nailhead instead) My problem with the 300 is procuring a Flywheel down here in New Zealand, I know TAPerformance have them new, which is how I'll have to go I guess, but a big cost, then a BOP Bell-housing, ( which I can get here for $250 plus shipping ) & clutch, pressure plate & fork ??? Not to sure about yet !!!
How'd you get around clutch & flywheel issues ?
Keep me updated, & I'll do the same
 
The engine has had "work" done to it but as far as looks it has the oiling plate upgrade which leaks a bit, and I cant tell but the timing cover may have been replaced a long time ago because it didn't have a timing pointer so i bought one that bolted to it to replace the hangar wire that was in its place, AND Finally it has an ac delco HEI distributor.

I believe the 300s I have all have OE covers with the timing scale cast in place on the cover. looking at the aftermarket covers, I see they offer a pointer kit. I assume you have purchased a correct pointer kit, so that it should mount close to TDC.

You can expect that the marks on the balancer will be "0" for TDC, and "8" for 8 degrees before TDC. You can estimate your 2 1/2 degrees, or you should buy a timing light with a built in advance on it, then you will only require a TDC mark on the engine.

You might also revisit your carb and make sure the accelerator pump is actuating properly. Look down the carburetor throat, move the throttle slightly, and gas should shoot out of the accelerator pump shooter immediately.
 
Hello fellow member!

My Jeep j2000 currently has a BOPC TH400 mated up to the 300 and with a Dana 20 transfer case. I bought my parts from summit relating to transmission parts, flexplate, torque converter, shift kit, well priced for me! Good luck on yours! Sounds like a great rig!
 
Hello Bob! Okay then I will try to time it to the 0 mark and go from there, but I do know last I checked the fuel pump operation it did just that but I will look at it again and report my findings
 
First, the newer timing covers for the small block Buick have a bolt on timing tab(scale), not a pointer. It looks like this,


Same timing cover for the Buick 350.

Second, you do not have the original distributor, you have an HEI distributor, first year for them was 1974. That means that the 2 1/2* BTDC spec for initial timing means ABSOLUTELY nothing. What you need to do is start from scratch when it comes to timing. Distributors over the years had completely different advance curves. It varied with the particular year and engine displacement. Engines don't run at the initial setting, timing advance varies with RPM. The mechanical advance adds timing at higher RPM, and vacuum advance supplements that as long as there is vacuum to operate it. When all is said and done, you have no idea how much mechanical advance is built into that particular HEI you are using. All Buick V8 engines run best with a wide open throttle ignition timing of 30 -34*. Notice I said wide open throttle (WOT). At WOT, there is very little if any vacuum in the intake manifold. That means at WOT, the vacuum advance will add NO timing at all. You should disconnect it and plug the hose for now. Set the total timing to 32*. That requires knowing how to use a timing light, and it also requires using the lightest pair of advance weight springs you can find. I go into more detail about all of this in a thread I started on v8buick many moons ago. Have a look at it.


In the first post, there is a word attachment describing how to use an advance timing light. If you do not have an dial back advance timing light, just a standard light, I can still help. The Innova should have a dial back feature though.
 
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