A Bubba thank you from Florida

[Tinker]

A couple guys I know wanted to get their flatheads tuned up and fix some engine performance issues. So I recommended that we go the Bubba route.

First was a 50 Business coupe. Its a neat looking car that has been hotrodded (customized) a little. This car has a 8ba Merc motor. The motor was running a stock distributor and the vacuum advance wasn't connected to anything. After we talked, we decided to go with a new Bubba points distributor. Took about an 1hr to install and time it with a light. He was happily surprised with how it worked. Still need to do some more tuning on the carb. Sorry no video on this one.



The next one is a little hotrod that was, to my understanding, built in the 60s. The engine was rebuilt recently with a real lumpy cam (don't have info on the cam). It was suffering from overheating issues. Would boil over within 15min. We decided to also go with a reworked crab from Bubba. Installed it and timed it out to 4 atdc. Engine builder didn't add timing marks and we didn't want to pull the head... so we used the ye Ol' ziptie method , worked very well. Ran it for sometime and it never got over 180. Had a clutch issue so didn't get to drive it yet. Car hasn't really been run in about a year.



Video: Open headers were loud!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFG-EnizZJs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shO4O2nc72Q

Thanks Bubba!!!

[Mike in AZ]

pretty cool....thanks for sharing....Mike

[Vic Piano]

Very cool!

[Mart]

4 deg after tdc or did you mean 4 deg before tdc?

Cool cars, nonetheless.

The 50 would have had no advance at all if the vacuum wasn't hooked up.

Mart.

[Tinker]

Hey Mart, thanks for asking that.

Yes, it is running initial timing at 3-4 deg after tdc. We tried backing it off to a couple degrees btdc and it really ran like poop. All in was around 20-24.

I'm open to discussion on this subject and appreciate any thoughts. I've read that lumpy cam motors like a bit of initial advance. Judging by how this one ran I can see that it may.

Best to my knowledge the motor is a scat crank 4 1/8, ross pistons, believe the head is 9:1 (maybe 8.5:1), race cam (not sure the make or grind). It's a beast.

We were unable to drive it under load to help dialing it in better. Also he has suggested going to a 3x2 setup. So it's a work in progress.


On the 50, ya having advance is a good thing

[Mike B]

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Originally Posted by Tinker

Hey Mart, thanks for asking that.

Yes, it is running initial timing at 3-4 deg after tdc. We tried backing it off to a couple degrees btdc and it really ran like poop. All in was around 20-24.

You must be a bit confused, as you mentioned the motor wants more advance, yet you are (by ATDC) retarding the timing.

Could just be where you found TDC and scribed a mark, not sure?

[Tinker]

Forgot to say the 50 we set to 2 degrees btdc. Or before top dead center.

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by Mike B

You must be a bit confused, as you mentioned the motor wants more advance, yet you are (by ATDC) retarding the timing.

Could just be where you found TDC and scribed a mark, not sure?

Mike, Mart had asked if we were 4 deg before or after tdc. I was just saying that we ended up at 4 deg atbc. Even though we did try to get closer to factory settings of 4 deg btdc. (which the motor didn't like and ran horribly). So we retarded it out to 4 deg atdc and that is where it currently is set.

Does that make any sense? ...maybe I'm not explaining it well.

[Mart]

Yeah, I didn't want to labour the point, but you seem to be getting mixed up, If it ran bad at 4 degreed before, it would run real bad at 4 degrees after. It sounds like you are quoting before when you mean after and vice versa. 4 degrees before is the factory setting , so it should run well there. I don't know what you would have to do to the motor to make it run well at 4 degrees after and poorly at 4 degrees before.

What does matter is that you have said it is now running well.

So that's a positive.

Mart.

Edit: (just reread your last post) you don't advance it from 4 deg before to 4 degrees after, that's retarding it. My guess is that you were indeed advancing it, and were at 4 deg after, and ended up at 4 deg before.

[Russ/40]

Originally Posted by Tinker

Mike, Mart had asked if we were 4 deg before or after tdc. I was just saying that we ended up at 4 deg atbc. Even though we did try to get closer to factory settings of 4 deg btdc. (which the motor didn't like and ran horribly). So we advanced it out to 4 deg atdc and that is where it currently is set.

Does that make any sense? ...maybe I'm not explaining it well.

No, it does not make sense. You retarded it, not advanced it. With the pully turning clockwise, if your getting spark to the right of your TDC mark, that is advanced. With that in mind, have you misinterpreted what your seeing? Also, number one is front cylinder passenger bank.

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by Russ/40

Also, number one is front cylinder passenger bank.

Thanks Russ

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Russ/40

No, it does not make sense. You retarded it, not advanced it. With the pully turning clockwise, if your getting spark to the right of your TDC mark, that is advanced. With that in mind, have you misinterpreted what your seeing? Also, number one is front cylinder passenger bank.

Ahem........With the pulley turning clockwise, if your getting spark to the right of your TDC mark, that is RETARDED. DD

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by Mart

Edit: (just reread your last post) you don't advance it from 4 deg before to 4 degrees after, that's retarding it. My guess is that you were indeed advancing it, and were at 4 deg after, and ended up at 4 deg before.

Doh... fixed my post.