Soon I will be able to start up the motor I've rebuilt for the first time. One question is about timing. I have an electronic dist, shaft has a little movement nothing too bad. But the magnetic pickup seems to have a bit of movement. How much effect would this have on timing, performance, and reliablilty. Also I would like to know, the process of getting it timed for the first time to start break in. It does have vacuum canister

The car came with a 1bb carter when I bought it, but will need to be replaced, iS there any benifits to change to the single barrel holley? And also depending on the Carb. Is there a good starting point for mixture screws or anything?

Engine is a
225 .060
7.8 c/r
Oregon cam #125 2.5degrees advanced

Nothing?

On many of my "rebuilds"... I tend to re-use all the parts that came off the vehicle, unless there is an obvious issue or problem with the item(s)

Put everything back together and attempt start-up, then break-in. Watch everything closely and troubleshoot, adjust or replace items, as needed.

As for Carter BBS vs the Holley 1 BBL carbs... I tend to use the Carters more, they are easier to rebuild and seem to be more "forgiving" over time.
DD

to start my re built motor I went with an old points distributor and a known good old coil,, kept it real simple,,
I hooked up a timing light but did not have any gas in the carb yet so I could crank the motor and verify spark was present,,

knowing there was spark, I connected the fuel line and shot the carb with ether,, the motor hit a few times but I had to clock the distributor a bit to get it to continue to run. For the cam run in I did not have the vacuum advance hooked up, I fact once it was running I set the 2000 rpm timing per the timing light at about 5 degrees advanced from TDC and I did not want to get into any knocking or detonation at this stage, so I was very conservative with timing.

I agree with Doc: certainly replace or repair broken or worn-out engine bolt-ons (carburetor, distributor, alternator, starter, etc.) but it's a good idea to reinstall accessories that are known to work well, at least just at first. This way you avoid creating new variables to chase down if the engine doesn't start or run right.

As for carburetor preference: in general I agree with Doc here, too, but at this late date carburetors are often a "take what you can get" situation, and while I might prefer the Carter if given the choice between a new Carter and a new Holley, that's an unusual luxury so carburetor condition becomes the number-1 factor in the decision; if I have to choose between a Holley in better condition and a Carter in poorer condition, it's definitely going to be the Holley and I won't be upset about it.

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

Should I be setting the timing at 5degrees atdc at 2000 for initial break in. I read it should be at 0deg at idle?

Timing is never adjusted at 2000 rpm, and it is not set ATDC. Use 5°BTDC at idle as a get-it-started-and-see-how-it-runs setting.

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

I may have confused Kiel by writing "advanced from TDC "

the correct term would be, as Dan stated BTDC,, or Before TDC,,,but they both mean the same. Spark before the piston reached TDC. A small amount of ignition advance as opposed to a large amount of advance will:
1) make cranking easier
2) reduce the opportunity for pre ignition / knock at above idle RPM's

you would not want to run that way once the motor / vehicle was streetable as you would be giving away power and economy.

It is on my Harley........

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Yeah, and a friend of mine has a 1970something Ferrari that calls for timing to be set at 4500 rpm. But in this thread we're not talking about Harleys or Ferraris.

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

interesting,,,my slant leaks oil like a Harley, but runs like a Ferrari