73 Swinger, 68 engine,(built by DD) bored 60 over, cam is 256 with 470 lift, 9:1compression. 77 2 bbl manifold. I got the new engine in last week or so with a 1 bbl, got it running without too much dialing in. Did the 2bbl conversion today, and I want it to be running as good as possible. The guy that rebuilt the carb took into consideration my engine and cam specs, and did modifications using 2 different cores to make the right one. It works amazingly great. I didn't have to make any adjustments aside from the idle adjustment. (here is a plug for the carb builder, Savas Tuning at www.savastuning.com, Portland, OR, even with the modifications and having to track down a second core for the right pieces to make one good carb, only took 2 weeks)

The difference between the 1 bbl and 2 bbl is amazing. I get no lag when I step on the gas and it seems to run like a champ. I dialed in the timing by ear, but I want to try the timing light thing. Problem is, I am a rookie/ignorant with these things.

I see the marks on the tab by the crank pulley, the marks are 0, not marked (5?), 10, then another mark above that (15?). I see the timing mark on the crank pulley. I bought an inductive timing advance tester at Harbour Freight Tools with the dial on the back with advance degrees.
Problem is, I'm not sure how to tie it all together.

One thing I noticed, when I had the pedal to the metal, there was an ever so slight knocking, otherwise it ran great. Right now it idles at about 1100/1150 in park and when I put it in gear with my foot on the brake it idles about 700/750.

I guess what i need is a little lesson on
1) how to use this light properly
2) what is the best setting for the engine

One other thing, I don't get a kick into passing gear. I adjusted the kickdown lever according to the chiltons volare manual, but when the pedal goes to the floor, the lever on the trans doesn't go all the way back. According to the manual, you push the trans lever forward and adjust it there, but it doesn't take into account the other direction. I didn't get the kickdown lever with my 2bbl setup. Does this mean my lever is too short? Or should I adjust it with the back most position in mind.

With a dial back timing light...set the dial to the value you want (5 degrees for example) and move the distributer so the timing mark on the balancer lines up with the 0 on the tab on the timing chain cover. There you go, your timing is set at 5 degrees. Want 9 or 11 degrees? Repeat as needed! I know nothing about super six's, so can't help with your kick down issues. Need to get it fixed though since the life of your transmission depends on it! Your idle speed seems kinda high though, and it drops alot when you put it in gear. Got a vacuum leak somewhere?

You need the kickdown from the 2 barrel setup. If the transmission from the donor car is different from yours, cut both rods, your old one, and the new one, and splice them together with a union and lock nuts. Your old rod will be at the tranny end, and the new one will be at the top. I seem to remember that a 3/8 die will work to tap the rod. This is pretty hard metal, so work slowly.
Eric is right. That rod cranks up the line pressure as you put your foot further down. If you drive it manually, shifting by hand, you will be doing high RPM power shifts without enough line pressure, and the clutches will slip and burn out.
Sam

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the harbour freight timing light is junk! it says my 170 slant is running 50+ degrees of timing. the dial is not accurate or repeateable. in my case it was a total waste of $17.00. if you are still running points, setting the inital timing with a test light would be more accurate, though it wont tell you your running advance.

good luck

Sounds pretty basic, I will try it today and see what I come up with. Hopefully my timing light is OK. It is a "Prolite inductive timing advance tester", maybe not the same kind as yours? One question, if I wanted say 10 degrees, could I also put the light on 0 and line up the crank timing mark on the 10 on the engine tab?

Thanks for the tip on the vacuum leak, I guess I will try to find out if or where it is. If I have a vacuum leak at the head/manifold interface, how would I test it?

I got all the linkages/brackets from from the 77 Volare station wagon except the trans lever, so the kickdown rod should be correct?

Until I get my tires on Thurs, I can't really take this car for a serious test. The tires are dangerously bald.

I have the standrd 73 electronic ignition, and was thinking of doing the HEI conversion today. One question on that. I read the HEI conversion instructions on this site, and it looks relatively easy. One question though that is not quite clear.

When I hook up the wires from the HEI module to the coil, do I disconnect the wires that are already connected at the coil?

Thanks!

What (I think) he means is, a quality advance timing light will normally cost in excess of $50. A $17 version from Harbor Freight is of questionable accuracy. The same goes for any tool that should measure with a high degree of accuracy.

I shop at H.F. all the time, for items like gasket scrapers, wire brushes, pry bars, and rubber gloves. But for things like timing lights and torque wrenches, I'd stick to the more expensive versions. Just my 2¢.

VM

The cost of mine was $30, obviously still an inexpensive version, but maybe it is better than the $17 version?

Depends on how accurate you want your timing... Some people still set their timing by ear, without using a timing light at all.

VM

Can't think what kind of transmission swap Sam has in mind that would require cutting and splicing as he describes. There are a couple possible reasons why your kickdown might not be working. The adjustment may not have been done correctly, or the kickdown valve in the valve body might've come disengaged from its actuator fork when the old kickdown rod was removed.

It pays to be very careful and critical when using a Haynes or Chilton's manual, for there's a great deal of missing and incorrect information. Have you got these three books yet?

It can be pretty confusing when you're under the car actually making the adjustment; it's really easy to get crossed up and move the slider box the wrong direction. Try loosening the clamp bolt and moving the slider box one inch to the rear, relative to the kickdown rod itself, then tightening the clamp bolt. If this makes a significant difference (your kickdown operation comes back, and the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts occur at noticeably higher road speeds), then all you have to do is fine-tune the position of the slider box on the kickdown rod. Moving it rearward (towards the lower end of the rod) makes the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts later and harder, and the kickdown earlier. Moving it forward (towards the front of the car) makes the 1-2 and 2-3 occur earlier and softer, and the kickdown later.

If, however, you get no difference with this 1-inch-rearward adjustment, then the valve has come disengaged from the actuator fork, and you'll need to drop the trans pan to correct it.

As far as timing lights go: I have much better results with the used Sun professional-grade light I bought on eBay than I ever did with the cheap Chinese crapola bought new.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Yes.

Thanks for all the advice. According to my timing light, I have it set at 12 degrees advance (is XX degress advance the same as XX degrees BTDC?). It seems to run pretty good there. How are you others setting your Super Six setup. Wayne E said he sets his at 30 degrees advance.

I adjusted the kickdown lever back an inch. The shifts seem later, but didn't kick into passing gear, but until I get tires Thurs, I don't feel like pushing my luck. I have to replace the pan gasket anyway, I have a small leak, so I will check it to see if the lever is engaged then.

One of the nice features of timing light with the adjustment is that it is easy to check total advance. Just like the initial timing procedure, but turn your dial to 32 degrees and rev the engine to around 3000 rpm and you should see your zero mark on the pointer line up with the pulley notch/mark. I found out my centrifugal advance wasn't working properly with this test and also realized I was running 36 degrees total, which caused light load pinging on regular gas.