I have the timing mark on the p***enger side of the engine to let the engine start. (Shifted more than 40 degrees to the left from the original cast pointer on the stock timing cover) 1. Not a bad/slipped damper ring. (checked with several new/used parts) 2. Crank key Up/ crank timing gear ball UP/ cam gear ball down. Good tight timing chain. 3. Yes the piston is TDC on compression. 4. It is a Ford...timing light is on p***enger side #1 front plug. (used several different timing lights) 5. All my other rebuilt engines had the timing match the damper mark with the pointer cast on the driver side timing cover. 6. Plug wires are for 1966 Ford 289 and connected 15426378 with 1-4 p***enger side front to back and 5-8 front to back on drivers side. 7. Stock points/vacuum advance distributor, checked on a Rotunda (Ford) distributor machine. All specs are per the 1966 Ford shop manual. (No vacuum leaks on the distributor, Vac. adv and centrifugal adv. check per 1966 Ford manual) Is it possible that the wrong cam was installed? The engine runs too smoothly to be a 351 firing order. The engine burns valves in about 10-20 thousand miles after complete long block rebuild. Each time the head had new valves, springs, seats, and guides. (Twice) Any ideas?
Only idea I have is I don’t understand at all what you are talking about. Cam balls? Timing marks have moved or move when you start it?
Like Kevin sez.......pretty cornfusing posts ! Sounds like several things and questions going on at the same time. I 'THINK' you have the cam & crank sprocket in the correct position...so there's that. Using a piston stop (EZ to make BTW) find true TDC. The mark on the dampner and the pointer on the engine block 'should' be in alignment. NOW.....buy you a timing tape for a SBF and stick it on the balance with the TDC marking on the driver's side ...out in the open...where you can see it! Make you a pointer and attach it permanently to the front cover of the engine. NOW.....when you shine your timing light to tune the engine you can easily see the TDC mark AND can see how many degrees you want to advance it. Let us know how this turns out fer ya.... 6sally6
^^^^ The "ball" I ***ume is the timing dot on the cam and crank gears, and should face each other with a stock cam with #1 @ TDC. Is it possible you have a mis-matched damper and timing cover? There were 3 different timing cover pointers used over the years with matching dampers. Timing pointers were located at 2 o'clock, and 10 or 11 o'clock. I would verify TDC and see where the damper is in relation to the pointer. The different pointer locations were due to the water pump intake being on either side. The valves are burning due to advanced timing most likely.
The cam gears have their installed marks made as a ball or indention in the face of the gears to ***ure correct setting of the cam. The gears are fixed to the crank and the cam and it is not possible for them to slip or move. If I set everything as posted the #1 plug wire is at the correct firing position on the distributor. The timing pointer is cast into the driver's side of the timing gear cover and does not move. The marks on the damper pulley have not moved in relation to the crankshaft (No slipping of the outside ring that has the timing marks). The timing marks are now under the p***enger side radiator hose when the engine runs. The timing marks on the damper pulley move with engine vacuum and rpm as they should with a timing light. I did not have the timing marks under the lower radiator hose on all my previous 289 engines. (4 of them)
This is the timing gear marks. My marks are round indentations instead of the rectangular one shown (Cloyes brand installed in my engine).
I have one of those too: 74 Bronco 302 block, I think, aftermarket double row roller timing chain, Comp Cams hydraulic flat tappet cam, 85 Mustang 5.0 stick shift distributor, with a gear compatible with the iron cam, Boss 302 steel crank, Ford Motorsports damper, 5.0 (supposedly) front cover, and serpentine reverse rotation water pump. I have to advance the heck out of the distributor to get it to run, and even then the headers glow dull red, so it’s still retarded. Somewhere along the way, I think, Ford changed the pointer from the right side to the left side of the cover, or vice versa. May have been when the switched something else, like whe water pump hose position. The engine has been out of the car for fifteen years or so, but some day I will pop a head and dig out the dial indicator to find TDC, and mark the damper accordingly.
I’m going to disregard timing since was said “runs to smooth” or similar. I think I’d be investigating why you “burn the valves” every 10-20k miles. That definitely (in my mind) is a real issue, that I don’t feel would be timing related.
I gotcha. You should be setting base timing with the vacuum disconnected and idle rpm so no mechanical advance. I prefer to run ported vacuum to the distributor. See if you can acquire a dial back timing light. Dial it back to 0 and see what the advance is. Also TDC ain’t always exactly where the crank dot is. That’s another discussion.
I'm pretty sure the crank (Woodruff) key is not straight up at #1 cylinder TDC on a small block Ford.
The Jalopy Journal
