Is there a way to set the timing without timing light?

[Big John]

I always set the timing on an initial fire up by making a pencil mark on the distributor body where #1 plug wire is first. I take the cap off. With #1 plug out, I crank the motor with the starter holding my thumb over the hole. When the compression starts to come up (read blowing my thumb off the hole), I then bump the starter until the timing marks align on the balancer and cover.

I rotate the distributor until the rotor points at my pencil mark.

I start the engine and time it with a timing light.

This works every time.

 

[69hemibeep]

5....

 

[ykf7b0]

Hi guys, I recently changed my complete ignition system.
New Fire Core ReadyToRun distributor, coil, spark plugs & wires and a new engine harness.
I set the timing by hearing/feeling and it runs more or less OK.

Reading about ignition timing I might be having it too much retarded. The car starts fine but I smell much fuel, engine seems to heat up fast, the Bird doesn't have a crisp throttle responce at all, stumbles when flooring...

Also the carb (Edelbrock 1806 Thunder Series 650CFM), will be needing adjustment, looks like it's running too rich. (I notice black spark plugs)

Someone told me to start with setting the air/fuel ratio first and then to get the timing right...


Can someone give some tech tips to just set it as good as possible so I can get her to a shop so they can get her fine tuned?

Thanks for the help! CB

You can set it with a vacuum gauge connected to ported vacuum on the carburetor. Adjust distributor until maximum vacuum is obtained. This works really well.

 

[jaymarr65]

Guy I have a question about timing lights . what would cause two timing lights to bad ? I recently bought a craftsman timing light and it stopped working after a few minutes I returned it for another and that stopped working after a few times using it , did you ever here of this ? the whole ignition system is new. Its a 72 400 electronic ignition. Thanks

 

[Basketcase]

"made in China"

 

[Collin]

just throwing this out there i bought the blue point timing light and it reads RPM, dwell, timing etc.... really a cool tool to have