64Imperial

My 440 is literally done in the car and ready to go. with exception im waiting on the top radiator hose and a new MSD 6A box to come mine was faulty. everything in the engine is new except the A/C, alternator, ect. The mechanic made sure he Zero degree the cam when he put it is this is the 440 hughes whiplash Cam btw i'm running 9.5:1 compression. When i put on the Dizzy i made sure to point the "groove" on the oil pump shaft twards the first cylinder. and installed the Dizzy with the pointer pointing at the firing mechanism inside, making sure that first one was the cylinder #1 spark plug wire. I have turned the engine over with the starter to prime the engine with the oil seems to turn over super smooth but now it wont be TDC on #1 which I dont think Should matter cause everything was hooked up before i turned it over?. If i lined all this stuff up as i said is it timed already and i dont need to do anything else? or do i need to change the timing after i start it? i need to break the cam in for 20 minutes @ 2000RPMs. i don't want to run idle like 10 minutes trying to get it timed and it not being at 2000 rpm and i ruin the cam, its my first time timing anything aka my first build. its in a 64 imperial crown. and another question i have no tach that tells me the RPM how do i know if im at 2000 rpm or not? i cant go off my normal instincts cause this cam will make the engine totally different.

Sorry for the wall of text, Thanks for any help in advanced!

~Bret

Coronet 500

Having the rotor not pointed at #1 but just before will help the initial firing.

I always have a tach/dwell meter hooked up and have my timing light in hand to immediately time 20-30 degrees when at 2000rpm.

Have a large fan pointed at the radiator, have a garden hose ready to cool the radiator if fan won't do the job.

64Imperial

So i just need to turn the dizzy clockwise about 1/4"? where its about to fire? and i never read anything about 20-30 degrees is this just for the break in? or i leave it there even after its broke in? i looked up dwell meters i think i have one actually that i got years ago from some mustang guy was a whole tuning kit for old cars its like a 30 year old box of stuff looks like new. how you hook up a dwell meter? and im not sure how a timing light works ill have to google some more haha

was just now doing some research on timing and was wondering if there is a typical max timing curve for a mild 440? & if this takes me like 10 minutes go get timed will it hurt the engine at all break in wise? cause i have to time it before i can run it at 2k for the 20 minutes. I also had my trans oil pan off to add a new one i filled it with oil bit i cant fill it fill till i move the car in drive and back in reverse again to move the oil in other parts of the trans, can this hurt the break in? i dont wanna have my trans sit there half full of oil and burn up.

64Imperial

Update after doing more research I found this from my cams manufacturer

"With the engine on the compression stroke on #1 cylinder, set the crankshaft
to 10º or 12º before TDC as shown above. Install the distributor so the rotor
has just passed the #1 cylinder terminal on the cap as shown above. Make
sure you have fuel in the carb, lines and tank. Fire it up!
Rev softly between 1500-3000 RPM for 30 minutes. "

Also says to set the dizzy so its about to spark so right before it hits #1 cylinder like Coronet 500 said above.

How is it even possible to set the piston to TDC and then change the timing to 10 or 12 degrees with out turning the crank which in turn cancels out the TDC cause the piston will move? i missing something or? i'm kinda reading it like this set it TDC then turn the crank where it points to 10-12 degrees before TDC and then reset the dizzy where its right before the #1 cylinder spark, & before TDC is this is advancing the timing correct?

Coronet 500

If you find compression TDC turn the crank back (counterclockwise) so the timing mark shows BTDC and point the rotor at number one. If you were to turn crank forward you would see rotor pass number one as stated in your manufacturers instructions.

When it says to rev softly do it at the idle screw with a driver not by hand so you can continue to monitor temp, look for leaks and listen for sounds.

64Imperial

oh okay so i was thinking of this wrong btdc is actually retarding it not advancing so it will actually be negative 10-12 degrees the left side below 0 degrees. the idle screws arnt the 2 air idle screws are they? from what i've read the street demon carbs are pretty well tuned for the 440 most people run them out of the box or have very minor tweaks from what ive read. & throttle wise i bought the Lokar carb bracket, lokar, throttle cabel & lokar Kickdown kit for all my linkage. Im not real familar with carbs and settings yet still learning. ill have to go look at it right fast to see of there is another screw your talking about, i know there is one screw sot its like a throttle position screw on the front of the linkage my carb kit didnt come with was a retainer screw? I thought you just rev it with your foot from inside the car for 30 minutes going 1500 back to 3000 and back down 1500 again repeat slow and steady.

Coronet 500

When I do this I'm always anxious so I check and double check, I prefer to have it all ready to go at night and leave it to the morning because I always think of something else.

I have mufflers on every engine I've done to hear noises, my son thought it's cool to hear that first open exhaust but I convinced him no.

I have a timing light ready, an oil pressure gauge, temp gauge installed and tach clipped on with a slot screwdriver to adjust rpm with garden hose ready.

In the first one minute I set timing and rpm then immediately check oil pressure and then walk around, over and under checking for leaks continually monitoring temp. If it gets too hot a watering of the rad tanks will bring it down, not all over the rad into the air stream because that gets real messy.

After 10 minutes if all is good then I'll raise rpm 500, another 10 then down 500.

Sitting in the car with your foot on the pedal keeps you from checking before something goes wrong. 30 minutes will seem like a long time while your doing it.

64Imperial

thanks for the info where i install a oil pressure gauge? temp gauge and all that i was going to go off the cars dash i dont have all that equipment. best i have for a tach is a dwell meter from the 1970s i need to use it on my truck to make sure it works first its liek new though.

Hughes cams instructions were to. Find TDC on zero on the balancer, then rotate assembally to 10 or 12 degrees before TDC then change the dizzy where the rotor is just past the #1 spark, I done all that and they say to never let it idle, and to go up and down slowly 1500-3000 and back to 1500 repeated. they say not to crank the engine over which i have i hope my cams not ruined i tried to fire it up but it wont start i cant get any spark to the plugs. i just started a 440 no spark help thread in the general discussion section if you want to read it i tried everything. as for timing according to hughes i run it that the 10 and 12 degree marks mentioned above for the break in then finish timing it after its broke in. they have weird instructions i thought all flat tappet cams you install and run at 2000 rpm for 20 min and its broke in.