Distributor and timing issue

[Sonny]

I just did a 318 to 360 swap in my '70 Plymouth. All is well. Question though: with vacuum advance disconnected I have 10 initial but only a total of 20 with engine rev'd up. I hooked up the VA and it jumps to 20 at idle and 30 rev'd up. Im a converted Chevy guy so I'm used to about 34-36 total timing. Shouldn't I expect the same for my mopar? Is my old 318 dizzy toast? It's original. It also has a Pertronix points replacement. Does it have springs or total timing adjustment?

 

[oldbee]

Well ur VA is working, I would remove the points plate and see what is gummed up on mech.advance( or if someone else had modified it). Yup 34-38*total w/o vacuum is setting to look for.

 

[Zeppelin264]

So you have 10 degrees of mechanical advance in the dist. Need to get that curve up to around 15-20 so you can run 12-18 initial. 10 is too low for initial advance.

Depending on your dist, you may or may not be able to adjust the mechanical advance. A Firecore unit would be an easy swap and is totally adjustable.

 

[Paul_G]

My 360, iron heads, call it an RV cam, likes about 12 to 14 base timing, add 20 for mechanical advance for a total of 32 to 34. My vacuum advance is dialed down to add only 10 degrees, but I dont use it. My mechanical advance curve starts to come in around 1200 RPM, all in about 2500 RPM. It is an aggressive curve. Is that much different than a small block Chevy?

 

[Sonny]

My 360, iron heads, call it an RV cam, likes about 12 to 14 base timing, add 20 for mechanical advance for a total of 32 to 34. My vacuum advance is dialed down to add only 10 degrees, but I dont use it. My mechanical advance curve starts to come in around 1200 RPM, all in about 2500 RPM. It is an aggressive curve. Is that much different than a small block Chevy?

That's pretty much the same. Thanks