I am currently having trouble finding out what my timing would be for a crate engine I have as pertaining to its baseline timing. its the Jegs 10067353 crate engine they always have on their home page for $1500. it has a Holley street avenger 670cfm, Edelbrock performer intake, hooker super comp headers, and a 195 deg. thermostat. if you guys have any other insight for upgrades or tinkering let me know.

 

I would use the stock C3 L48 timing 8 TDC to start. This is basically a similar to stock L48 with this motor.

Have you already purchased this motor ?

 

ive had the engine installed for a while and trying to tinker with the engine to get more power when I started I was new to the whole custom engine thing and had the timing at 20 deg.

 

As cago says, 8-10 deg is a good starting point. Of course, go for 36 total (initial + mechanical) by 3000 rpm.

Use the vacuum advance on distributor, connect to full time vac source.

 

Start at 12-14* BTDC. By the time you check out the distributor's mechanical advance and set it for 32* all-in by 2700-3000 rpm, timing check at idle will be in that area. It would be nice to find that the crate engine already has been set that way...but, I bet it's not.

 

I have the same engine and I have the dwell set at 30*.
My initial timing is set at 12*.
At 2,900 rpm the centrifugal advance adds 24*.
The vacuum advance adds 16* more for a total of 52*.

This might help:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...long-post.html

 

I installed the engine myself I after the pistons cracked on my old one. it started as a long block assy.

 

Take the mechanical advance springs out and reassemble the distributor. Run the car at an idle with the vac advance disconnected and set your timing for 36*( assuming a relatively stock engine and compression and stock hei distributor, if the compression is over 10 to 1 or higher, maybe start at 34, some heads make best power with less advance, research and drag strip testing can help )now reassemble the mechanical advance. Take a timing light and a dustributor wrench and go drive. Find a good hill and slightly power brake it, but dont try and break it loose, see if she'll ping. If it don't good, if it does back it down 2* and try again, once you have it to were she don't ping on the power break drive slowly up the hill in as high a gear as you can, if it pings go through the same process as before. This is one way and one step, you'd still need to set your mechanical, but we'd need to know the complete combination just to point you to the possible right spring, but you can do that on your own and need to test and tune. I always found the lightest springs to work best on my L48 and my 400" and given you can mix and match tention, grab the springs and tools, go drive, change and drive, repeat until it is were you like it, then try the hill tests to make sure the rearrangement if the mechanical advance hasnt brought it in quick enough that you ping. Good luck.