A lot has changed since the 60s, including the formulation of gas and the quality of the parts available for our old engines. Mopar DID use factory heat shields starting in the mid 70s. They are rarely seen today since they were made out of a fiber product that degrades and falls apart over time, but they were used.

There are better spark plugs now, better spark plug wires now, better ignition systems now, etc... Also, don't assume that all slant sixes ran smooth as silk back in the day, either.

Additionally, manufacturing tolerances these days are such that you can have brand new timing components that are fresh out of the box but mis-aligned such that camshafts are put many degrees away from what they are supposed to be. For example, the motor in my brother's 83 Dodge van was built using one of the last old Mopar Performance double roller timing chain sets for the slant six. A few years back I checked the integrity of the timing set and the chain was still nice and tight but when I degreed the timing set I found out that the cam gear was cast putting the cam 8 degrees advanced. This is fine since I wanted it that advanced, but the tolerances can add up. Combine misaligned timing components with a vibration dampener outer ring that has slipped and is no longer showing true TDC and you can wind up with a poor running motor quickly.

If you opt for an aluminum intake as Ted suggests, look or the one-piece cast versions and not the two piece e-beam welded versions. These intakes were available on 60 (and maybe 61) slant six engines and then again available in the mid-80s on trucks and vans. The 80s era units will have an EGR valve that would look out of place on a 60s era slant, but that can be blocked off.

If I were you I would start by verifying that TDC is accurately shown on the vibration damper and adjust your base timing accordingly. Then go and adjust the curb idle speed and mixture accordingly.

Next I would play with the valve lash. Run them a little loose like I suggested- .012 intake and .022 exhaust.

Then I strongly recommend upgrading to HEI ignition with an e-core coil. Many poor idling problems have been cured by upgrading to HEI electronic ignition.

Finally, you may need to go through your carb with a fine toothed comb and fine filament wire to make sure all the passages are clear and the idle circuit is functioning as it should.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Yes, I did regrind the cam, but according to the grinder, the spec changes are negligible from factory, so I shouldn't be having to adjust to compensate. Stated the changes were 'so minor' that he had no build card for it. Hmm!

These I already have.

I will check this to be sure of my timing mark and adjust accordingly.

I was getting confused between cam timing, and ignition timing. Still learning here.

Got it.

Thanks. Yes, I'll raise the curb idle about 50-100 rpm to see what kind of a difference that makes.

Interesting. Didn't know. Glad to be filled in on this.
Also interesting. I hadn't considered that. Noted.
I have witnessed this. You are correct, so I will check my timing mark and adjust from there if I find it off. Last I checked, it was still true, but who knows.
My 60 Valiant has this aluminum intake. Don't think I'll go for this just yet.
All good things to do. Will report back once they've been done and I'll see what I find.

Looked at all your videos. Looking good!

Don't forget to do the fuel line mod and get rid of that rusty fuel line....
My 74 line was rusted internally to the point where it was blocking fuel flow at high speeds. No power! It passed enough fuel at idle and at low speed cruise. If you fill that station wagon up with kids and camping gear, you may run into the same problem going over the mountains, especially on a hot day. After the mod, I can go any speed I want up some pretty steep mountain passes.

The mod helps in so many ways....quicker start ups after heat soak, eliminates rust in the carb, plugging up the carb atomization circuits in the body, fuel boiling, loss of fuel after shut off, wear and tear on the carb needle and seat, fuel leaks, etc...

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

It is not just the timing mark on the damper that can slip, it is also the mis-indexing of the dots used to line up the cam and crank gear As I said, when I checked the timing components in my brother's van I found that the cam was 8 degrees advanced from centerline in relation to the crank. It worked out OK for me, but it shows that you should always degree the cam.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Great discussion here. Question, though: can't you have too much timing??? My engine is about 1500 miles post rebuild, and if I set my timing much beyond 2.5 BTDC, it kills power and the engine runs a lot hotter.

I'm just wondering if 10 BTDC is a little much for every application.

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63 Plymouth Valiant V200 Convertible.
225, HEI, Super Six with 38/38 Weber, Electric Fans, Scarebird discs, FirmFeel front swaybar.

(1) Yes, it is possible to have too much timing, but (2) 10 BTDC is not to much for most any slant six.

If your engine runs noticeably hotter and loses power with the base timing set at ten BTDC then something is wrong somewhere. Run through the checks I described above about verifying the accuracy of the timing mark on the vibration damper. I bet yours has slipped. You may also want to degree the cam to make sure it is correctly oriented in relation to the crank.

Finally, you will want to verify that the timing advance mechanisms in your distributor are working properly.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I'm betting on the Damper being wrong. The distro is 1 year and about 2000 miles old, so I'm doubting that.

Thanks for the tip, Reed. TDC hunting, here I come!

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63 Plymouth Valiant V200 Convertible.
225, HEI, Super Six with 38/38 Weber, Electric Fans, Scarebird discs, FirmFeel front swaybar.

Like to give kudos to Reed for his recommendation of the 66792 TDC tool. I just spent the past 30 minutes manually turning an engine that simply NEVER stopped turning.

I suppose about 30 more times might have stopped the crank (15 didn't seem to be enough), but I didn't honestly have the heart to do it.

So the Proform 66792? DON'T BUY IT!

Well, so that sucked pretty badly. Looks like I'll have to fashion something myself.

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63 Plymouth Valiant V200 Convertible.
225, HEI, Super Six with 38/38 Weber, Electric Fans, Scarebird discs, FirmFeel front swaybar.

Did you extend the center threaded section all the way out as is pictured on the Jegs website? The center threaded rod needs to be screwed as far into the head as possible when you put the tool in the spark plug hole.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.