My buddy Dave (Propstrike) brought his newly ***embled 57 Caddy over last night for a shakedown run. The problem is that it seems to be running hotter than it used to and seems to be low on power on the bottom end. I threw a timing light on it and it has no numerical degrees, just an "A" and a "C". WTF is that? I can ***ume the A is for advanced? I need to make sure we are on the right page here..... Caddy gurus tell me where to set this bad boy up at.
I adjusted the timing but I am just doing it blind.......it sounds better but I don't know how far off I am. No points, converted to electronic.
i never trust that kind of new mumbo jumbo in older cars(i got a dual point dizzy fer my caddy motor. good luck with it. if i find out what C means ill let you know.
i was thinking... maybe Center(TDC- top dead center) get one of those push gauges, and find the top with that.
A is for premium fuel. C is for regular fuel. intake opens at 22 before top dead center and exhaust closes at 27 after top dead center. I think for timing...it's full advance 10 @ 1600rpms.
Vacuum time it. With the gas we have today, the original specs are not very relavent. To vacuum time it, disconnect the vacuum advance, hook a vacuum gauge to the line, and advance to the highest vacuum reading, then back off 1" of vacuum. Tighten the distributor, paint a line on the damper where the pointer lines up, and reconnect the vacuum advance. Test drive it, and if necessary, back off a couple degrees for driveability.
The Jalopy Journal
