C3 small block timing mystery
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 19
Likes: 1
From: Leeds Yorkshire United Kingdom
C3 small block timing mystery
Recently I rebuilt my 350, new cam lifters, Summit , dual sprocket timing chain set at zero, alloy heads etc etc, the car has run very well and was set up with about 15 degrees of initial timing and 35 total, the car had a hei distriutor. The other day I thought I would re check the timing and to my surprise initial timing was showing at Over 40 degrees!, my immediate thought was that the damper had spun on the rubber moving the timing mark relative to the crank, it was one part that I did not replace, so I fitted a new performance damper and also a more compact distributor as the HEI was very tight up to the bulkhead. I checked tdc with the new damper and the marks line up, rotor arm on no 1 firing stroke cranked the engine and got it running put the timing light on and again needed 40 degrees to get it to run, can't understand it, new timing gears, new damper, no kick back on the starter whilst cranking?, I have checked no 1 and no six and they both valves Rick as they should over tdc, it's a mystery, this engine should not run or crank with that much initial timing, the timing light is a dial back model, could this be the culprit, any advice, help would be much appreciated
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
Recently I rebuilt my 350, new cam lifters, Summit , dual sprocket timing chain set at zero, alloy heads etc etc, the car has run very well and was set up with about 15 degrees of initial timing and 35 total, the car had a hei distriutor. The other day I thought I would re check the timing and to my surprise initial timing was showing at Over 40 degrees!, my immediate thought was that the damper had spun on the rubber moving the timing mark relative to the crank, it was one part that I did not replace, so I fitted a new performance damper and also a more compact distributor as the HEI was very tight up to the bulkhead. I checked tdc with the new damper and the marks line up, rotor arm on no 1 firing stroke cranked the engine and got it running put the timing light on and again needed 40 degrees to get it to run, can't understand it, new timing gears, new damper, no kick back on the starter whilst cranking?, I have checked no 1 and no six and they both valves Rick as they should over tdc, it's a mystery, this engine should not run or crank with that much initial timing, the timing light is a dial back model, could this be the culprit, any advice, help would be much appreciated
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,926
Likes: 739
From: Youngstown Ohio
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Le Mans Master
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,926
Likes: 739
From: Youngstown Ohio
Get one of these: Best light I ever owned.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/i...yABEgLlXfD_BwE
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/i...yABEgLlXfD_BwE
......that's the one I bought.