GrandpasDream

Hey there, I want to thank you personally. You've all been very helpful. I really appreciate all of your input.

I didn't want to start another post, but I do have a question for y'all, maybe you can help?

I fixed my electrical issue, and she runs fine, and stays running, until I turn the key off.

I do notice the pick up off the line is VERY slow. Sluggish. And quite frankly a disappointment after all the work and money I've put into her.

Do you have a recommended plug?

Would this be the reason for the sluggishness?

How about the torque converter?

I have a 4 barrel 750 CFM edelbrock carb with an edelbrock performer intake.

The rebuild was as close back to factory. Nothing special just a basic rebuild..it almost seems like it runs just like it did with a 2 barrel intake and carb. I'm just using more gas.

I'm not a total gearhead, but I do know enough about cars/motors to be dangerous.


Please help! Where did I go wrong. If you need more info to help diagnose, please just ask!!

Mr.4spd

My crystal ball says "more ignition timing". What's your initial and total advance, and when is it "all in"?

TVLynn

What kind of gear ratio does it have What cam ? If you kept the 2 bbl cam that will hurt performance too

moe7404

yep your right most of us here can be dangerous with cars LOL. the thing is to not out think your self. yep racer hog and pro-tech are very good help. but i tease racer a lot. tomorrow is April 1 look out racer. i have all nite to think of the good tease.

pro-tech

With todays ethanol fuel you want to run alot of timing...I would set the timing at at least 10* more than spec at idle or a total at 2500rpms of 34* vacuum unhooked...Run it and see if its getting better... LISTEN carefully for pinging if it does you will have to back it off a little...Are you sure the cam timing is set right and not a tooth off??? This set up should be able to spin the tires without to much trouble...What is in it for a distributor??? Is it still points???...Bill

Mr.4spd

Ya, like I said. My sister's Mustang was a pig until I stole the keys and dialed in 9 more degrees of timing...instant smoke machine. Then there was my Dad's fuelie 'Vette...he actually pulled the timing back after I messed with it, my Mom wouldn't ride in it anymore.

Coronet 500

Did a little research and found a '69 2V 383 has 9.2 to 1 compression and a .425/.425" lift 256/260' duration cam. If true, this cam with the ports and valve size is a very desireable engine even by todays standards. If tuned properly this should be a monster.

Look into initial timing and what RPM total timing is at without vacuum advance (plugged hose) and report back.

With your timing dialed in first you should feel a difference and then work on the carb tuning, if needed.

440roadrunner

You want to throw away all you thought you knew about timing "specs"

Do this:

PLAN on getting the distributor recurved or

Buy a performance "curved" distributor or

Buy an FBO "limiter" plate:

FBO:


http://www.4secondsflat.com/Ignition.html

Go down that page and look for

J685K Limiter Kit


What you want is somewhere around 32-36 degrees total advance under load at the crank. with no vacuum that is under power. You are going to want somewhere around 18-22 degrees mechanical advance measured at the crank, with a lot lighter springs than are in the factory distributor, and a lot more initial timing

In other words, with the vacuum disconnected, you ADD whatever your initial timing is, to whatever is in the distributor at high RPM to get your total "under power." In my case with about 15 at idle, and about 20 "in the distributor" I have about 35 total.. When you hook up the vacuum, that adds whatever it adds at light throttle.

How do you know what to set initial?

You "play" with it with a tach and vacuum gauge. You slowly adjust the timing at the slowest speed you can get the engine to idle, when warm, with the idle mixture set for optimum. You set the timing for highest idle speed and highest vacuum, readjusting for mixture as you go until optimized.

Then you play with total under power to find out 'what it will stand' without pinging when totally warmed up, under load, on a hill. The difference between the two is what you need "in the distributor. A good 'rule of thumb" is 18-22 in a performance engine.

The 318 which just came out of my Dart has a mild cam "about" like a stock 340. It runs 15--17 degrees initial timing.

Keep this in mind:

Distributor specs 'in the books ' that is what you read in the Motors manuals or in the back of the Mopar factory manuals are DISTRIBUTOR degrees which must be DOUBLED to get CRANK degrees

HERE:

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/t...m/viewall.html

Look at this photo from that article:

This is a factory, "smog" weight assembly out of a 70's distributor. This is NOT a 15 degree weight, which would be a 'short' curve (The performance curve in my Dart is about 18-20 crank degrees) This is 15 DISTRIBUTOR degrees, which is THIRTY crank degrees!!! These 70's smogger distributors came with HUGE heavy springs and took a very lllloooonnnngggg time to fully advance



If you are "handy" with a brazing torch, and want to weld or braze up the advance slots, you can shorten them on a stock distributor. "Somebody" came up with approximate dimensions:

(These, again, are distributor degrees, which are different than FBO, which for some reason, marked his limiter plate in crank degrees. Go figure)


Dimensions for Mopar distributor slots, in DISTRIBUTOR degrees

Modifying advance slots
degrees / slot size
6.............. .340
7................355
8................375
9................390
10...............405
11.5 ...........420
12...............435
13...............445
14...............460
15...............475
16...............490
17...............505
18...............520

GrandpasDream

No I converted to electronic ignition. Proform 66993. Basic model. Not sure if it's "curved" as stated above?


I've never set timing on a car before.. this should be interesting.

moparted

a 4500 pound car with highway gears, it isn't a sports car

Skwerly

Here’s what I do for timing in a pinch:

· Let the car warm up
· Disconnect the vacuum advance from the dizzy and plug it.
· Reach up and ease the throttle to about 2k rpm at the carb.
· Turn the dizzy clockwise until you get the highest idle, then back it off about a quarter inch.
· Lock the dizzy back down and reconnect the line.

That should get you real close to some off the line thump. If it rattles (detonates/pings), back it off a hair until it doesn’t.

demetri

If the car really feels sluggish big time, usually the carburetor secondaries do not fully open. It is an easy test to do, but you need two people. Assuming you have a Carter carburetor, with the engine off, have a friend push the gas pedal all the way down, and look through the carb holding the secondary flapper open with a screw driver. My guess is you will notice that you need to adjust the linkage.

The 383 even on a big C body should move reasonably well. The strength of the 383 is really on high rpm, compared with other similar displacement engines, due to large bore and large valves.

pro-tech

What happens when you kick someone in there crystal *****??? Do they shatter???

RacerHog

hahahahahahahah....