Not adjustable. Just for the hell of it I put the gasket back on and spent like 10 minutes trying to get things lined up pefectly...cranked the engine and got oil pressure on the gauge. Maybe I didnt have it seated quite right last time but it sat in place somehow...I dont know. It sure looked flush, so I can't explain it.

At this point the trick is to get the timing sorted out to where I can start the engine and watch that oil pressure. It became a lot tricker a few minutes ago when I realized there's no bolt on the end of the crank.

 

Is the bolt missing, or is the crank snout not threaded?

 

Good question, I'm going by reading old threads. It looked like I could get a socket in through the pulley (I was right) but there's no bolt in there to grab. With 40 years of gunk built up, I couldnt figure out what's actually in there so I did some searching around and the bolt was a design change at some point. Either the pulley has to come off to find the bolt, or there's no bolt at all.

I can't actually see what's in there, so I'm basically trying to go by feel.

 

I figured I'd just keep this thread going instead of starting another. Pretend this is a new thread.



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I've installed the DUI HEI distributor (with mech tach drive) on the '66 327/300. The car starts just fine, idles fine, revs fine. Until its under load. Then it'll backfire under light-mid throttle. WOT it seems to run fine...I'm not really flogging it for a real WOT test session because I dont want to have to push it home and the neighbors are probably annoyed enough as it is. In any case, it definitely smooths out at WOT.

Depending on timing advance, idle speed is betwee 800 and 1300 rpm. I've been reading a slew of timing/distributor threads in recent weeks, so I figured I'd do what they were saying. With the vacuum line plugged, I set the timing at 10* (dial-back timing lights are awesome). I wanted to see at what rpm it would be all-in. Around 2k-2300 is where the timing stopped advancing...at a whopping 25*. As I understand it, that should've been showing 36 or so, and been all-in between 2500-3000 rpm.

Could this be caused by the wrong springs? I would've thought the springs would just change when the advance was done, not the total amount. Any suggestions?

At this point I am assuming the timing mark is accurate...but even if its not, I dont see how that could be the problem. If it was off by 12*, then my idle would be at 22* without vacuum...10* would be impossible.

 

Talk to the supplier of the dist. (if new). Yes, your total initial timing and cent. timing should be ~36 for a Chevy (depending on heads and fuel). Subtract that amount of initial from your total of 25 deg., and you will have the amount the cent. advance is adding (in this case your initial is 10, so that subtracted from your total of 25 indicates the cent. advance is only adding 15 degrees). I am assuming all this with the vacuum advance plugged or disconnected.

The dist. "should" have a cent. advance "stop" that "fixes" the total cent advance. This may be adjustable (it is not adjustable on a stock dist.). The cent. advance springs do not control total amount of advance.

Plasticman

 

Did your distributor come with an assortment of springs and advance stop bushings?

 

Evidently not. I bought it from a guy here who says there wasnt anything but a tag outlining gear break-in procedure. He never used it (seems to be the case based on its condition).

Even though its not new, I think I'll give DUI a call and see if they can help me out.

 

An HEI upgrade was one of the last things I did before laying my car up for the winter.....

 

Talked to Eckler's from work (via email, cant use phones), and they were only slightly helpful. Turns out these aren't built by DUI, they're imported...that's all the info I could get. Well, that and "We have had no issues with the distributor of any kind."

The last email I got (unless they responded after I left) was just this: "The distributor is set as an all around universal part that will work successfully in all average engines on regular pump fuel. Thank you."

Gee, thanks.

 

Well, that answers that (universal!, right!).

Recommend you find someone who can help dial in that HEI distributor (if you want to continue to use it). If you have the old dist., and it functioned (from a curve and timing standpoint) to your satisfaction, I would use that as the baseline for the curve for the HEI dist.

Plasticman

 

That gives me an idea...maybe the old springs/weights will work? Probably not, but it wont take long to figure out.

Edit: Nope, the center piece isnt removable, and the old weights dont line up with the center piece on the new distributor (which is removable. They almost fit if I put it in backwards, but almost is only good in horseshoes, hand grenades, and nuclear weapons.

 

No, and to get more cent. advance timing, you need a different "stop" bushing, not different springs and wgts.

Plasticman