[supereal]

The initial timing is, in fact, determined by the offset coupling to the camshaft. The advance affects timing, of course, via the weights on the point plate. We adjust that on the Sun machine by controlling the speed of the machine and watching the strobe wheel. That is why old Fords don't have timing marks on the crank pulley. The system was designed to eliminate timing adjustment on the early models for convenience before distributor machines were widely available. Hope that answers the question.