[rocketrockel]

Hello
I have a few questions about timing.

What should the initial timing be on a 360 BB?
and what should the timing be at WOT?

It is in my 1973 ford f100 custom.
It is 100% stock.

It is having a hard time starting with the occasional back fire in the carb. once its running it seems to sound just right and perform like it should. It could be a tired out old ignition system too. Figured that the timing would be the thing to check first then go to the next thing.

 

[My427stang]

Hello
I have a few questions about timing.

What should the initial timing be on a 360 BB?
and what should the timing be at WOT?

It is in my 1973 ford f100 custom.
It is 100% stock.

It is having a hard time starting with the occasional back fire in the carb. once its running it seems to sound just right and perform like it should. It could be a tired out old ignition system too. Figured that the timing would be the thing to check first then go to the next thing.

Stock is pretty late, usually 6 BTDC with all vacuum lines disconnected and plugged. I would run it at 10 BTDC

WOT, an FE likes 38-ish stock, especially a 360 with pistons that deep in the hole. Be ready though, it may not stop advancing until after 4000 rpm with a stock distributor.

As far as the backfire, have you replaced points AND condenser recently? How does the cap, rotor and wires look? You may just need a good tune up

 

[rocketrockel]

Stock is pretty late, usually 6 BTDC with all vacuum lines disconnected and plugged. I would run it at 10 BTDC

WOT, an FE likes 38-ish stock, especially a 360 with pistons that deep in the hole. Be ready though, it may not stop advancing until after 4000 rpm with a stock distributor.

As far as the backfire, have you replaced points AND condenser recently? How does the cap, rotor and wires look? You may just need a good tune up

Thank you My427stang.

To answer your questions;
No I have not replaced the points and condenser lately.
To be honest about the cap, rotor and wires, I have not even noticed lol but I would imagine they would need to be updated.

If you look in my garage it has a pic of my truck. I think it could use a good tune up and a few parts replaced. I am in the process of selling my T-Bird right now and will need to get my truck running just right before taking it regularly to my local cruise nights!!

 

[My427stang]

Once the coin allows, buy a new set of points and condenser and set according to factory specs, they wear and should be regularly changed.

If your budget allows, a Pertronix would be even better because you'd never have to replace again.

Then set the timing, because point gap affects timing, so you set timing after the work inside the distributor.

Then a good set of whatever cheap plugs, cap and rotor you can find, it'll probably purr like a kitten.

 

[Tex]

Another thing that causes hard starting and backfiring through the carb is a worn-out timing chain. When they stretch from prolonged use, they cause both the cam and the distributor to retard. Tuning the distributor helps some, but since the slack in the chain comes and goes with engine speed, you'll never be able to get your timing right. Plus you're losing some cam timing too.

Take the dist. cap off and turn the crank back and forth with a breaker bar. There should be no lag for the rotor to change directions as well. If you change directions on the crank and it takes a bit for the rotor to move, you've got a stretched timing chain.

 

[rocketrockel]

Thanks guys I will look into all that over the next few weeks!

 

[rocketrockel]

I took a quick look while I still had some light outside.

The rotor and the cap look to be new and in good shape. The wires and coil look like they could be replaced. I am sure the spark plugs could be too, it couldn't hurt.

 

[puttster]

Take the dist. cap off and turn the crank back and forth with a breaker bar. .

Tex, can you do this with all the belts in place? Where do you slide in the breaker bar?

 

[RAGGAREN]

Tex, can you do this with all the belts in place? Where do you slide in the breaker bar?

yes.... just put a socket on crank pully/damper bolt and move back and forth with rachet or breaker bar...
and you can do it from below if theres no room .. but then someone have be look out for you or a mirror can be used so you can see when rotor is moving....

 

[rocketrockel]

Such a Great tip thank you tex

 

[Tex]

Yep, what Raggaren said. I've had engines with 85K+ on them that didn't burn any oil and still had great compression but ran like crap and had no power. Did the little test described and found significant lag. Pulled the timing covers and found chains so loose it's a wonder they hadn't jumped. Throw in a double roller and it's like a new engine.

Timing chains are a major weak link in an engine. That's why so many old straight sixes would last forever. They ran gear to gear with no chain and never suffered lost time and all it's ill effects.

 

[DanH]

no need to remove the dist cap or a mirror , just the 15/16 socket & bar . however much the crank turns easy counter clockwise is the degress the chain is loose . Note no need to be at tdc.or bdc or ... just do it