I have rebuilt this distributor for a customer, the engine is in a pickup, not many details other then a rebuilt engine. I attached a pdf with the numbers I saw while on my distributor machine. The only tune up information I have came from a 1967 Car Repair tune up manual. 283 V8 , 30 dwell, vacuum adv 7"@15, centrifugal adv 14*@2100, timing TDC@idle, 700 rpm idle I am not around Chevrolet engines much, what total timing would you like to see and when? This is not a race truck, just a normal cruise night stock type engine. Joe
I’m no expert, but total should be in by 3000 RPMs. The rear gears and tire height would be a factor of how quick you want it. Ie a 4.11 can take total quicker than a 3.08.
The spec for the manual may not include the maximum centrifugal advance, only how much should be at 2100 rpm. Most small block Chevy's want somewhere around 32 degrees total at about 3000 rpm. When I say total, I mean initial plus centrifugal. Vacuum advance does not play into this. It's only adding advance at light or no load.
depends on the rest of the engine...the wilder it is, the more initial, usually. But somewhere around 5-10 is pretty typical for a stockish engine.
My 283 distributor has 12° centrifugal advance [24° at the crank] and the stock spec was 8° initial timing at the crank resulting in 32° total. I dialed a bit more initial timing @ 12° resulting in 36° total at about 3000 rpm and it is fine with that. We do have 98 octane at the pump here in NZ so 36° total is fine. AND I am using a high torque starter to overcome the extra initial timing Your spec is 14° distributor centrifugal advance [28° total] so you only need 8° initial crank timing. And you would be fine with a stock starter motor. 36° total would be the limit on a 9.5:1 - 10:1 compression engine on today's gas
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