Is there a general consensus as to how far you can advance on a stock engine such as mine? Or is every engine and set of circumstances different?

Thanks,

CE

Get a vacuum gage too, that will be very useful. I drive by vacuum more than the tach.

The recurve will be helpful with either setup. Dialing in the vacuum pod will help mileage and reduce or eliminate pinging all together. My car is set up like a drag car first however, a little slower on the mechanical advance, so it won't ping at all. Second, is the vacuum pod adjustment for mileage. So the baseline setting on the recurve is not using the vacuum pod at all. That is why it won't ping.

I have lots of notes organized plus Doc's distributor recurve guide if you need it.

I really prefer a normal automotive style vacuum gage that comes with all the mounting gear and internal light.
They are much easier to read when your driving especially in the early morning hours and at night. I have mine mounted under that dash to the right of the tach so it is easy to see and use as a guide to drive by. You have heard Doc say many times "to drive like there is an egg under the gas pedal". The vacuum gage will help you do that and get the best mileage.

Have you already bypassed the OSAC valve on this '73?

ValiantOne,

One reason I love slants is the more you learn, the more you can still learn! I was recently asking about where to slide the vac advance in....but before I got to worrying about such things I read a lot here first and tried a lot of things too. Regardless of whether you have a bone stock slant or built one you really need a few tools and a dialback timing light would be the first thing I'd get after wrenches and screwdrivers.

Then I'd study Emsvitl's threads with curves til I understood not just what he is showing in his experiments, but why changing one variable produced a specific result, and why he can draw a theoretical "ideal" curve. It is like reading about how a solonoid operates as opposed to having cut one open and 'logicked" out what would happen and tracing continuity through it.

DD and the guys who chipped in to answer my question (DusterIdidot, Ted, emsvitil, etc. are master tuners. Rob has been writing about his trials since 2004 at least. I have a binder about 2 inches thick of old threads I extracted and cut and spliced to follow specific answers over time. Well worth doing, but takes time.

As to your vac gage, I have four (!) I wanted a big one to hang on the wall so I could look easily at it while I adjust a dizzy, a small one ipermanantly n the vac line next to carb so I can watch manifold vac as I adjust idle mix, one standard Sunpro on dash, and a small one now attached in the cab for venturi vacuum after tophat's suggestion. I want to watch venturi vs. manifold vac. Of them all the big one was hardest to find, and I can email you a pic of it if you want to see one. You don't neeed one with all the red and green lines and such...you want a clear background and easy to see needle.

As to recurving, jump in! In my opinion, don't get many old points dizzies to mess with because you can't adjust the spring cams like you can with EI. If you are gonna recurve, you don't need to waste time with a points set anyway. Learn some here about ignition and HEI, and do your tuning with a spark that makes it worth your while.

I know the driving is supposed to be the fun, but darn if tuning isn't at least equal for me, because it is a puzzle that gives you increasing rewards for mastering each step....and it's a lost art.

rock
'64d100