My engine a 327/350 has been rebuilt and I broke it in and it was running nice, but on the higher rpm's I could hear that the engine didn't like it. The engine was built to handle higher rpm's. I pulled the distributor and ordered a Pertronics unit for it.
Then brought it to a shop to get the curve done on it. The shop found out that the bushing on the mechanical advance was missing and was running advanced at around 38 degrees. The bushing was inserted and now is set to 26 degrees of mechnical advance.

I am having a hard time dropping in the distributor now and getting the timing set up. On my balance I am using the zero mark for the timing, but it has marks up to 60. What are there marks for? Should I be using some other marks?

On the second stab of the distributor she starts, but runs bad and the timing mark is a few inches before the 10 degree setting. I know that I must still need to move the distributor more advanced right? Maybe two teeth? What procedures does others go by before dropping a distributor? I was at top dead center with the valves closed when I dropped stabbed it.

Thanks for any advaice in advance. Dave

 

The line on the harmonic ballancer should be lined up with the 0 mark on the timing tab (on the timing chain cover). If you did not have it at top dead center then you may have to find that as well. Remember that the harmonic balancer rotates twice for every 8 cycles. If you are at Top Dead Center and lined up with the 0 mark on the timing mark the when the distributor goes back in the rotor should point to about the 4 o'clock postion if viewed from the front. If the oil pump shaft did not move or you did not turn the motor over you can only put it in 180 degrees off or right on.

Mark

 

The distributor should drop in as long as the oil pump drive slot is aligned with the tang on the bottom of the distributor drive. Look down the dist hole inthe intake and you will see the slot. Use a long screw driver to turn it so that it aligns with the dist drive tang. Just because it drops in doesn't mean that it's in the right position though. The gears will mesh in multiple positions but only one position is correct.

If you marked the rotor position (in relation to the housing) and the distributor position (in relation to the engine) before removal, all you need to do is adjust the oil pump slot so that it ligns up. If not, you will need to verify TDC for #1 cyl. The 0 mark on the balancer aligns witht he 0 mark on the timing tab in two positions but you need to make sure that it is at TDC of the compression stroke. With the #1 plug removed, hold your finger against the hole as the timing marks align and you will feel pressure as the piston moves up if it is on the compression stroke. You can also remove the valve cover and see when both valves are closed. With the engine in this position, point the distributor's rotor to the #1 position (put the cap on and mark the housing at the #1 terminal) and drop the distributor in (adjusting the oil pump drive slot as needed). Before trying to start the engine, set your timing as close as you can. Engines run like crap at 0º and a carb fire is likely (or they don't run at all).

The marks on your balancer represent degrees of advance. If, as you stated, you have 26º of mechanical advance, 10º of initial will give you 36º total which is probably close to optimum for your engine. Turn the engine by hand until the 10º mark on the tab is aligned with the 0º mark on the balancer (or the 10º mark on the balancer aligns with the 0º mark on the tab. If the tab is correct for the balancer, all of those marks will align). (Timing marks are usually every 2º) The dist will turn with the engine so now turn the dist until the rotor is aligned with the mark you made on the dist. At this point your timing should be very close to right but check it with a light to make sure.

 

To add to what Ghostrider20 said, you need to get the engine set up so that the long timing line on the balancer is aligned with the pointer on the timing chain cover, and the #1 cylinder (furthest cylinder forward on the driver side) is at top dead center ready for the POWER stroke. The way to do that is to let someone else bump the starter (with the distributor removed) while you hold your thumb over the #1 cyl spark plug hole... when the cylinder is coming up for the power stroke, your finger will be pushed forcefully off the hole by the pressure... that may also happen when the cyl is coming up to start the exhaust cycle, but not nearly as forcefully. So, once you find that spot where your finger is pushed off, AND the timing markis about to align with the pointer ... then make it align, being sure you don't go past the timing mark or you have to start over again. You are now ready to install the distributor.

When you install it, you want the vacuum can to point roughly at the right front corner of the engine, as I recall, with the rotor simultaneously pointing at the place the #1 spark plug would plug into the distributor cap (whose position should be at about 6:30 or 7 o'clock if you looked down on the distributor from the front of the engine).

When you slip the distributor in, it will engage the drive gear on the camshaft, forcing the rotor shaft to turn slightly clockwise, so you need to position the rotor about 1/8 turn counter-clockwise of where you want it to end up as you start sliding it down inorder to have it align as I stated above once it's in place. If the distributor won't slide all the way down to seat on the block, it's because the driven tangs on the oil pump aren't aligning properly with the drive pin in the bottom of the distributor shaft, thus holding the distributor up off it's seat... pull the distributor out and note the approximate alignment of the oil pump drive pin wwhen the rotor is oriented in the correct position, then use a looonnnng screwdriver to align the oil pump shaft tangs slightly counter-clockwise of that relative position to allow the distributor shaft to slide onto/into it as the shaft engages the cam gear; it may take a few adjustments before you get it right and the distributor slides down and sits firmly on the block with the rotor in that 6:30/7 o'clock position.

Then rotate the distributor body to point the vaccum can outlet toward the t passenger-side front corner of the engine, install the distributor hold-down clamp and the cap (and the #1 spark plug), and the spark plug wires 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 clockwise around the cap starting at the receptacle at that 6:30/7 o'clock position. Lastly, start the engine with the vacuum advance hose blocked off, attain proper idle speed, and set the correct timing.

 

quote
[Just because it drops in doesn't mean that it's in the right position though. The gears will mesh in multiple positions but only one position is correct. ]

If the oil shaft did not move, and you do not move it, then the spade end on the distributor will only fit in there 1 of 2 ways. on, or 180 off. Yes if you move the HOUSING of the distributor you change how the distributor will rest.
IF you get to far off, you can still time it, but it may not swing enough in one direction or the other for the timing desired. Due to the helic gears, there will be a slight twisting while inserting or removing the dist.

 

When you put the distributor in it rotates a few degrees as it meshes with the slanted drive gear on the cam. I usually rotate the distributor body to a point where the vacum advance module limite any further movement and then mark the position the rotor is pointing to on the distributor body. You will notice that as you pull the distributor out the rotor rotates a few degrees counter clock wise. Therefore when you insert the distributor, you need to position the rotor a few degees counter clockwise from the mark you want it to end up at.
Easiest way to verify TDC firing stroke on cylinder #1 is to rotate untill mark on damper aligns with 0 degrees on timing mark plate and then check the valve lifters to make sure theyt are loose, i.e. both intake and exhaust are closed.

 

One mistake that most guys make is to install the dist. with the engine at TDC. If you want the timing to be close, set the engine at the intial timing point - 8, 10, 12 BTC, whatever the OEM or your spec.

With a point type distributor, once you have the gear engaged properly, you rotate the dist until the points just open. You can do this visually or with an ohmmeter. With a mag. pulse dist. you rotate until just after the pole pieces are past the minimum spacing. Using this method the engine should be within a few degrees of the initial timing spec, and it should start.

If you can't reach the initial timing point due to the vacuum interference, there are two possible problems. Either the gear teeth are not phased properly or the dist. drive gear is installed 180 degrees out of phase. Proper phasing of the gear requires the dimple to be pointing the same direction as the rotor tip. If it's 180 out you can't achieve the correct initial timing point before the vacuum can runs into something solid.

Duke

 

E-mail with complete distributor installation instructions and photos heading your way....

The other problem you run into when having people "rebuild" distributors is that many people don't know that there is a clocking on the distributor drive gear. If it gets installed 180-dgrees off, you can't get the distributor into the right position. To check this, pull the distributor out and look at the drive gear. There will be a "dimple" in the gear near the roll pin. This dimple must point the same direction as the firing tab on your rotor. If it points opposite the rotor tab, the gear is on backwards.