What I would like to know is: How much timing from the mechanical is correct?
26 degrees is too much well how much is enough/correct?
Also: How heavy a set of springs do I need? The ones I have are to heavy I know but has anyone sourced a set from another dist. or bought a set at the hardware store that were perfect.
This is something I've wanted to do for some time but no one seems to have these particular answers.
Eric
'62 SerII
Excellent questions Eric, but different engines need different timing figures
to make peak power without detonation.
This is not something you can just drop some parts into it and drive off.
Those parts do not exist, so you have to make/modify what you have, and in the case of the springs, find something that works.
On the weights, there is a section of metal that becomes the max advance stop, this will need to be built up with metal (welded or brazed) and then machined down by trial and error using a distributor machine and a strobe.
You could also do this on your car, but its more work.
For a hot alpine like most of us have (higher compression webers and a cam), static timing would need to be around 16 to 20 degrees, max timing would need to be 32 to 34 degrees, so the max mech advance will be in the range of
14 to 18 degrees, the more compression the less mech advance needed.
The springs set the advance rate, which is pretty simple.
You could take your dizzy to a recurve specialist but they tend to think they know what timing you need, and they cannot possibly know that.
If you do make sure YOU specify what timing you want, and they will see if they can do it. Then you MUST verify on your car that they did what you asked them.
When using a dizzy with stock advance rates (set for vacuum advance), you can set your max advance in the 32 to 34 range, but your idle and light throttle timing will be rather retarded and you leave fuel economy and mid range power on the table.