Ok, I finally got some time to start working on my Z. I rebuilt the SUs and they are nice. However, I am having some trouble setting the correct timing on the engine. The car is a '71 and I am the third owner.

I verified that the notch on the damper pully lines up with the pointer when the distributor rotor points to the #1 cylinder. But at idle, when I put the timing light (set to 0) on it the marks are nowhere to be seen. I had to turn the dial to 45 to line up the mark at the pointer. My first thought is that there is no way I have 45 degrees of advance at idle. It shouldn't start with that much advance.

I am testing at 700 rpm and I tried with the vacuum advance attached and with it plugged. (I am not so sure that the vac advance is any good)

The previous owner died but his son said that he had rebuilt the motor. Is it possible that he used a different pulley on this car??

One thing that makes me suspect this is that accordint to the book there should be 3 notches 5 degrees apart. But on the pulley there are only 2 notches and they are about an inch apart. That seems way too big a gap for 5 degrees.

Does anyone sell timing tape for this pulley. From the look of it I doubt it but I am hoping... What is the diameter of the correct pulley.

Help!! I am not a big fan of timing by 'ear', which is what I have had to do.

Proper steps to timimg happiness.

First verify TDC on the compression stroke. Pull # 1 spark plug out

and stick your finger over the hole. With a remote start button or with a socket on the damper bolt, turn over the eng. till it blows your finger out of the hole. Now with a light to peek down the # 1 hole, and the wrench or socket on the damper bolt, turn the engine very slightly back and forth to visually confirm the piston is at TDC. If you have trouble seeing, stick a screwdriver in the sparkplug hole as verticly as you can and then again turn the engine by hand slightly back and forth and watch the screwdriver

go up and down. After you think your as close as you can get to TDC, check the timimg marks. Put a small dab of white paint on the damper pulley where it aligns with the timing pointer. Now you have located TDC on the compression stroke, Probably within a few degrees if you have a good eye. Now hook everything up, set the timimg light to ten degrees and fire it up. Final note, do not exceed 36 degrees total advance. good luck.

Phred

I would agree with Phred, these instructions will get you set up with a new TDC mark if the pulley was an odd ball marked pulley.

Click here to find a caculator that will caculate where different degree marks are on your dampener.

http://www.thedirtforum.com/toolbox.htm

After you find true 0 degrees that is!

Thanks for the responses. I should have thought of that. I will do that asap. I think there's a store around here that sells a TDC whistle that screws into th spark plug hole.

Thanks again for the help.

Oh BTW does anyone have the outside diameter of the pulley

I probably should check for vacuum leaks too.

Originally posted by LanceM

Click here to find a caculator that will caculate where different degree marks are on your dampener.

http://www.thedirtforum.com/toolbox.htm

After you find true 0 degrees that is!

Great Webpage link! Maybe you could post this one in our LINKS area so it is easy for everyone to find later on down the road?

Those apps are kinda cool. I use a similar method to make timing stickers for the model boat engines, using millimeters for ease of calculations.

The only problem is I have yet to find the timing gauge on my L28!

same on my airplane right before it hit a tree and broke:tapemouth

Thanks for all the responses.

The pully was right after all. I just goofed. I knew what my eyes were telling me had to be wrong and it was.

The Z is moving under its own power now. No more bipedal motor. I forgot to check compression but I think it should be good. The motor felt powerful on the 10 second test drive I had time for. Part throttle response is less than I expected but the vacuum advance was not connected to a ported source. So I will have to correct that. The SU's are leaking at the throttle shaft but I guess that's normal. Maybe Ztherapy carbs will be in the budget soon

Thank you again.