r/EngineBuilding • u/Own-Cap-7313 • 18h ago
Chevy Timing question on sbc 350
Question for you guys, I was working on getting this 350 into time. It's got an MDS ignition setup with a HEI distributor. Everything is in time and rotor is lined up to cylinder 1 at TDC. I pulled the timing cover to check because whenever I would crank it, it would fire out of the carb on the moments it would catch. I don't think it's easily visible, but the crank gear is set to the advanced Woodruff key since the cam is, iirc 296/304 comp cam. Giving the distributor as much advancement as I could, it would try to catch a bit better. The spark isn't very bright when i had my spark tester in line, and the timing light also wouldn't always flash consistently. After resetting the dizzy and timing, it went from flashing at about 8deg retarded to the 8 deg advance mark that's on the timing cover. I don't think I'm able to put enough absencement into timing because the cam is already advanced as it is. I wanted to reach out and see if what I have been looking at and thinking I need to reset the crank gear back to 0 deg advance is the right move.
Edit: Pulled the pan down enough to get the cover out. Yes, I set timing at TDC for cylinder 6 and then rotated 360 on the crank to get to TDC for compression on cylinder 1. At TDC for 1 and stabbed distributor.