8BA timing
 

It fires right up, runs well, has 19.5" of vacuum, and accelerates as strong as I feel it should being my first flathead. Before I started the motor for the first time I lined the pointer and pulley mark up and the rotor was pointing right to #1. It fired up almost instantly after sitting for 4 years.
Anyway, on to my question. I hooked the timing light up to it yesterday. While the motors idling at about 575 RPMs, the bb that's pressed into the crank pulley is about an inch past the pointer. According to everything I read it should line right up at idle. Is it ion the right spot or what?

Update... I disconnected the advance and the BB moved even further clockwise from the pointer. I loosened the bolt for the distributor hold down clamp and rotated it counterclockwise and got the BB dead in line with the pointer. The motor picked up rpm, smoothed out like crazy and my vacuum went to 20 on the dot. I took it for about a half an hour drive which is the longest I've driven it so far and the temp stayed between 175 and 180 the entire time even sitting at stoplights. I shut it down for about 10 minutes I touched the carb and it was warm but I didn't have to pull my hand right off like I did yesterday so I'd say all is good. I appreciate everybody's input

Re: 8BA timing
 

Did you disconnect the vacuum line from the distributor?

Re: 8BA timing
 

I didn't. I was thinking the vacuum advance didn't kick in until 800 rpm or so. Should I retry with it disconnected?
Just to clarify for my own knowledge, the pulley mark should be before the pointer if it's advanced and after if it's retarded, or is it the opposite?

Re: 8BA timing
 

In the Ford Service Manual under time ignition the first
sentence says disconnect vacuum line.

Re: 8BA timing
 

Now that I'm looking I see that haha.
As far as what I'm thinking, am I correct or incorrect that with the timing Advanced the BB would be before the pointer and with the timing retarded it would be after the pointer every time the timing light lights up with the Clockwise engine rotation?

Re: 8BA timing
 

You are correct.

Re: 8BA timing
 

So my timing is severely retarded. I'm not even sure how it runs and it seems to be pretty smooth

Re: 8BA timing
 

You guys happen to know the diameter of the 8BA crank pulley?

Re: 8BA timing
 

To clarify the language of "before" and "after" the pointer. On an 8BA you are looking at the pointer directly beside the distributor. The pointer should be on the "dot" at idle. If the pointer is pointing to the top of the pulley from the dot , the timing is advanced. The engine is rotating counter clockwise when viewed from the driver seat, so the timing light will fire to the top side of the dot when timing is BTDC . If I recall correctly the pulley is 6 1/8".

Re: 8BA timing
 

So say you're standing in front of the car. If the pointer is at about 11 o clock on the pulley. My dot is about at 11:30 or so. When I rev the motor it goes towards 11. The dot should start at 11 and go back towards 10:30, correct? In other words as the timing advances the dot would appear to be going counterclockwise, or am I wrong?

Re: 8BA timing
 

Here's a photo of my '50 showing about 2 degrees advanced from the dot at idle. If I rev the engine, the dot moves down as more advance takes place.

Re: 8BA timing
 

You are correct! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Re: 8BA timing
 

Yeah man my bb is about 3/4" to 1" on the other side of the pointer at idle.

Re: 8BA timing
 

It does sound like the timing is set very low.

Re: 8BA timing
 

...And there you go, just like it should be. Well done. ;)

Re: 8BA timing
 

Yes sir. Now to drive the hell out of it