timing help please

[Sublime]

Hi all, I am tuning my engine, new plugs gapped at .35 and new wires. My problem is ignition timing. This is what I did. Disconnected the vacuum line at the carburetor and plugged the cab nozzle. Marked the engine tab at zero (with chalk), well I believe its zero its hard to see, I circled the line on the tab that is marked

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I then marked the harmonic balancer at 34.
my timing light is very old and has no special features. I connected the power and spark plug sensor to the drivers side front spark plug #1.
started the truck. revved the engine to 3000 rpm and turned the distributor until the harmonic balancer mark lined up with the zero on the tab. (yellow line indicates where the harmonic balancer line is at 3000 RPM.

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at idle the harmonic balanced mark is to the right of the engine tab.

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So I marked the harmonic balancer at zero and it is to the left of the tab at idle.

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Is this correct? I was expecting the harmonic balancer mark to be to the right of zero on the engine tab.
The truck seems to have good pick up, cranks easily and no dieseling when shutting it down. I do not hear any pinging when under load but the truck is very loud and not sure Id hear it anyway.

1978 350
distributor is hei - pertronix, flame thrower, I have no idea what springs or weights are in the distributor.
accel shorty plugs gaped at .35
accel 8.8 wires
edelbrock 1405

 

[bucket]

I think you did alright. It's at BTDC at idle which is good, I just can't tell how far based on that timing tab. They are usually labeled at 4* or so, that one just seems to have marks and that's it.

 

[Sublime]

I think you did alright. It's at BTDC at idle which is good, I just can't tell how far based on that timing tab. They are usually labeled at 4* or so, that one just seems to have marks and that's it.

Thanks bucket, ya, I think I see a zero on the engine tab, which is the one I marked. like you saide I see do not see any other numbers.

So everything to the left of zero on the tab is BTDC?

 

[bucket]

Yeah, I faintly see an "A" for after and a "B" for before.

 

[Sublime]

Awesome, thanks again

 

[Rusty Nail]

Neat thread.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Should be "A" and "R". A=Advanced, R=Retarded. Advancing the timing puts it more degrees before TDC. Retarding the timing puts it closer to zero degrees TDC. At idle it should be 8-12 degrees BTDC ("A" side of tab). 8= better fuel economy 12= better performance, but may increase spark knock/hard hot starts. If you used timing tape on the balancer it may help you see how 34 degrees puts your mark further to the "R" side of the tab at 3000 rpm. But you'll have to clean it up, I doubt tape would stick to it.