[TAQuest]

I'm 100% certain I lined up those dots before I put it back together.

[TAQuest]

Maybe I'm 180 off on the distributor. I didn't think it would run at all like that. I'll switch it and report back.

[TAQuest]

Not 180 off.

[TAQuest]

The question is;

How could it run better one tooth off than having the dots lined up?

[pastry_chef]

Originally Posted by TAQuest

The question is;

How could it run better one tooth off than having the dots lined up?

That is the purpose of degreeing the cam, sometimes indexing is off.

[TAQuest]

I didn't look close enough at the cam key to see if it was stepped.

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by pastry_chef

That is the purpose of degreeing the cam, sometimes indexing is off.

What would make it off that much?

[TAQuest]

I haven't ever used a step cam key. Looking at that picture with the dots not lining up, could a step cam key make it look like that, one tooth off?

[TAQuest]

And then if I did line the dots up with a stepped key that would make it one tooth off.

Then if it really wasn't a tooth off I have something else going on with the engine to make it run bad over 3200 rpm.

[pastry_chef]

Sometimes gears may not be marked correctly, the cam may be ground incorrectly relative to the key. Many factors.

[TAQuest]

Makes me want to do an engine swap out.

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by pastry_chef

Sometimes gears may not be marked correctly, the cam may be ground incorrectly relative to the key. Many factors.

Following this thinking:

The previous owner might have been fighting this problem too. And got it as close as he could one tooth off.

What's my next move?

[promptcritical]

Degree the cam if you’re questioning the cam timing. It can be easily fixed if that’s the problem.

[TAQuest]

Have a thought;

What if the owner didn't have his hands on it at all and his build shop did something custom that makes the dots unusable?

[pastry_chef]

What if you manually open the throttle a little bit, will it smooth out?

Check the balancer timing marks are accurate and then actually measure the ignition timing.

Degree the current cam.
Or buy a new cam and ENSURE to degree it.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Needed a picture of your timing gears when you thought you had them right.

I think I read that you said the cam gear was one tooth off?

The last pic you posted showed the crank gear off at least two teeth. That would have been at least four teeth on the cam gear.

Afraid you've still got dots and slots mixed up.

Cam dot at 6 oclock is cylinder #6 TDC compression. With normal lifter leak down, cylinder #1 valves could very well both been closed. Just closed during overlap between exhaust and intake strokes. Doesn't mean the cam is off timed like that...just means you put the distributor in 180° off. That's ignition timed on #6 instead of #1.

Needed a pic before button up
Clay

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Originally Posted by TAQuest

Makes me want to do an engine swap out.

Just need to learn how to properly use a multi keyway timing set.

IMO; And for how I like engines to run and how I like to drive...I'd use that timing chain set and retard the cam 4°. Idle would still be fairly smooth...It would just move peak TQ and HP a little higher in the RPM's.

Clay

[Stan Weiss]

OK, so what does everyone one think that this group of parts should have for CR?

If the cam in the engine is the Edelbrock listed in the specs. Then 215 psi cranking compression CR would be about 10.7:1. With 190 psi cranking compression CR would be about 9.7:1.

What do you have your initial ignition timing set at?

Stan

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by "QUICK-SILVER"

Needed a picture of your timing gears when you thought you had them right.

I think I read that you said the cam gear was one tooth off?

The last pic you posted showed the crank gear off at least two teeth. That would have been at least four teeth on the cam gear.

Afraid you've still got dots and slots mixed up.

Cam dot at 6 oclock is cylinder #6 TDC compression. With normal lifter leak down, cylinder #1 valves could very well both been closed. Just closed during overlap between exhaust and intake strokes. Doesn't mean the cam is off timed like that...just means you put the distributor in 180° off. That's ignition timed on #6 instead of #1.

Needed a pic before button up
Clay

Those dots were dead nuts lined up. You can take that to the bank.

[TAQuest]

Here's the thing;
Obviously the dots NOT lining up in the first place WAS NOT a mistake. Because changing that made it run worse. So I didn't find the problem that I was addressing in the first place.
I think someone DID degree the cam. So messing around with that isn't going to fix the original problem. Probably the closest I'm going to get is where it was.
How is my logic?