Idk if it holds a vaccum but it's connected to the ported vac port on the carb. That you'd connect a vaccum advanced dizzy to.

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Old truck: 82 D150 225, 2bbl, dutra duals, 2.5" straight pipe to dual 2.5" tail pipes. Mud tires, 4spd, old forest service truck.
Current truck: 98.5 Ram 2500 ccsb, sport, 24v cummins, 5spd, 4.5" lift, 35's, 5" straight pipe.

I dont have the slot on the bottom of my distributor for more timing, However thanks for the help on where to set the timing at. And by the way I live in Indiana, a small hick town, most of these people have never have heard of an emissions test so I dont think i have anything to worry about.

Also just one more thing, What if i run out of room while turing the distributor back?

OK- first, the lean burn computer requires a constant manifold vacuum source. This may be the tap on the carb that it is plugged into. You need to get a vacuum gauge to check. The lean burn computer reads vacuum backwards from how a distributor does. The lean burn needs to be supplied the constant vacuum source from the intake, not a ported source like a distributor vacuum advance.

A 1982 one barrel slant six will have either a non-computer controlled holley 1945 carb or a computer controlled Holley 6145. Either way, put the lean burn hose to the ESA port in these diagrams:

1945-


6145-


Second- you need to get a length of hose, attach it to the vacuum transducer on the computer, and suck on it to see if it holds a vacuum. Ideally you would use a hand-held vacuum pump to check this.

Third- Slant sixes used two types of distributor hold-down brackets. The more common kind (used from 60 to roughly 78 ) had a bracket with a slot for the hold down bolt and a slot on the bottom of the distributor, like this:



The other used a ring bolted to the bottom of the distributor and a clamp on the block. Either you do have the slot on the bracket on the bottom of the distributor bottom where you can loosen the bolt on the bottom to get some more play in the adjustment, or you have the clamp on the block that will give you about 300 degrees of play (take out 60 for the vacuum advance pod). If you have the slotted bracket (the kind in the picture above) and you don't have enough adjustment play to get the timing within spec, first check for vibration dampener slip and second you will need to jump a tooth on the distributor gear. This involves pulling the distributor and either advancing or retarding the rotor a tiny bit to engage the next gear on the distributor drive gear.

So that is what the hidden slot distributor hold-down looks like. Nice photos, and diagrams Reed.

This is interesting viewing for those of us that don’t have stock rigg’in on our slants, and haven’t owned one that was unmolested in the last 40 years....

Bill

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

The distributor hold down setup n that picture is by far the most common. It is too bad that the later and better "ring style" hold down didn't come out until the late 70s.

Thanks reed. Mine has the ported spark tube and bowl vent solenoid but no idle stop solenoid. It's a cross between the 1945 and 6145. I'll switch that tube and see what happens. Thinking about going to pick n pull to get an hei system today.

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Old truck: 82 D150 225, 2bbl, dutra duals, 2.5" straight pipe to dual 2.5" tail pipes. Mud tires, 4spd, old forest service truck.
Current truck: 98.5 Ram 2500 ccsb, sport, 24v cummins, 5spd, 4.5" lift, 35's, 5" straight pipe.

Ross- you might still have a 1945. The key thing to look for is wires going down into the float bowl. If you have wires going into the float bowl, it is a 6145. If you don't, it is a 1945. HEI is a great idea, but if your carb is also controlled by the computer then you will need a carb too. Keep an eye out for a Holley 1920.

When you say the carb has a "ported spark tube," have you checked that port to verify that there is no vacuum at idle with the throttle closed but vacuum as son as the throttle is opened? If the port has vacuum all the time then it is the port for the lean burn computer and won't work for a distributor vacuum advance. If the port has vacuum all the time then you will need to get a different carburetor to use vacuum advance on the distributor. However, if the port really is a "ported spark tube" with no vacuum when the throttle is closed, then you can keep your current carb and just switch out the ignition system.

I think the lean-burn conversion article needs to be updated with a bit more detail regarding the various versions of lean burn systems (carbs only, ignition only, combination ignition and carb) and with HEI swap instructions added. HEI is much easier to install on an ex-leanburn vehicle than even standard Mopar electronic ignition. It is basically hook up to the coil and you are done.

"If the port has vacuum all the time then you will need to get a different carburetor to use vacuum advance on the distributor. However, if the port really is a "ported spark tube" with no vacuum when the throttle is closed, then you can keep your current carb and just switch out the ignition system. "

My 87's 1945 has a ported vacuum tube, so it's definitely possible that an older vehicle did too.

Ed- someone has done some retrofitting on your 87. 87 was the last year for the slant six and by then it would have originally been built with computer controlled ignition and carb. Someone in the past likely swapped to an earlier carb with the distributor vacuum port.

However, weird things do happen. We had one former board member who had an 87 slant powered truck and he swore it had an OBD-I interface port. He quit posting here before we could get a picture of it out of him, so it was never verified.

"Someone in the past likely swapped to an earlier carb with the distributor vacuum port. "

My dad was the original owner.

Shortly after he died, I installed a parts store rebuild. (This was the first time it was removed.)

I had the original rebuilt professionally, and I put back in. (having rebuilt once, since.)

Both carbs have a vacuum tube in that location. To wit, I've only ever confirmed that the original's was ported. (Still have the major parts of the parts store rebuild. I may confirm whether it is the same or not out of morbid curiosity.)

I would get a vacuum gauge and verify that the original carb on your rig has a ported vacuum tap in that location rather than an constant flow tap.