Is this normal?

[Cranky]

Getting 14 inches under 1000 rpm ain't bad but can you really tell by ear if it's 800 or 1000? Would also like to know if the cam was degreed in at 106 and what your static compression ratio is and cranking PSI. How does it act if you give it more timing? Does it smooth up any? Will it ping with more? Even without a load on it, you can sometimes hear an engine ping when you quick throttle it if the timing is too much. I ask about compression and cranking PSI because engines with low numbers generally like a lot of timing.....

 

[beanhead]

I can't be certain the cam was degreed, and if I bump up timing the RPMs level out at about 22-24 degrees, and it starts to get a ping if I throttle it..at 24 the total timing hits 42,(a bit too much, dist limiter plate coming), vacuum advance plugged for now. Haven't done a compression check yet but will when I get a chance...we got drags this weekend!

 

[Paul_G]

Pull one plug wire off the dizzy at a time and see what happens. You should see a drop in RPM as each wire is pulled off, and RPM come back as each wire is put back on the dizzy. You could have a bad plug or two.

Idle mixture adjustment? Did you go over that?

 

[beanhead]

Pull one plug wire off the dizzy at a time and see what happens. You should see a drop in RPM as each wire is pulled off, and RPM come back as each wire is put back on the dizzy. You could have a bad plug or two.

Idle mixture adjustment? Did you go over that?

Mixture is okay, replacing a cap and rotor that look suspect...pulling a wire while running sounds like a good check as well thanks

 

[Lionized]

Is your harmonic balancer new?
I'm having nearly exactly the same symptoms as you and my next step is replacing the balancer. The rubber will deteriorate and could cause this.

 

[beanhead]

Is your harmonic balancer new?
I'm having nearly exactly the same symptoms as you and my next step is replacing the balancer. The rubber will deteriorate and could cause this.

Yes, new balancer

 

[440+6]

Still seems ignition related to me

 

[66chargerpat]

For what it's worth, it sounds lean or not balanced. The carb I'm talking about. From the video, it looks like you have four corner idle adjustment. That could be off, but first you need to check the phasing of the your distributor. There are many threads on this forum about phasing a dizzy and on the internet on this subject.
Also you need to make sure both floats are set right. That cam isn't big enough to make the idle sound like that. Honestly that doesn't sound like a"cam', that sounds like some starving cylinders from fuel or spark. Pat

 

[beanhead]

Still seems ignition related to me

That's still my suspicion as well... Distributor doesn't have any side play in the shaft, swapped plugs/wires to rule that out... next thing I'm going to try is removing one plug wire at a time while it's running and see what happens

 

[beanhead]

Just thought I'd throw this out there..
Voltage @ coil, 8.8+, 3.5-
@regulator, 10.5 and 13.2
@ballast resistor 13 and 8.8
13.8 @ battery

 

[beanhead]

For what it's worth, it sounds lean or not balanced. The carb I'm talking about. From the video, it looks like you have four corner idle adjustment. That could be off, but first you need to check the phasing of the your distributor. There are many threads on this forum about phasing a dizzy and on the internet on this subject.
Also you need to make sure both floats are set right. That cam isn't big enough to make the idle sound like that. Honestly that doesn't sound like a"cam', that sounds like some starving cylinders from fuel or spark. Pat

Thanks Pat... I want to run down as many possibilities as I can

 

[beanhead]

Another thing that I forgot about... before I started the motor initially, seeing as how I don't know how accurately the cam was installed I checked the #6 valves while #1 was at TDC on the compression stroke. #6 valves were slightly open, if I remember right intake was open like .030 or .050 something like that... that should at least tell me the cam isn't way out of whack, correct? That said I do understand it's no substitute for degreeing to get the actual installed numbers...dist phasing should be ok, @TDC rotor pointed directly at the tower

 

[beanhead]

*Update*
So as not to be the guy that leaves a thread hangin lol....
Replaced my MP electronic conversion kit distributor (purchased in '08) that checked out OK, with a firecore unit...much better. Car has no choke I used to have to keep RPMs up a fair amount for 2-3 minutes to get it to idle, now I just feather it just above idle for a minute or so and it settles right in...the annoying big irregular shake ia gone too..now it shakes a touch but it's consistent and I think pretty normal for a non stock big block...likes 20 deg idle timing and hits all in at about 36...much better! Just because the whole MP kit seems to have turned out to be a bust, I'm going to get rid of The Orange Box for a chrome one also...Thanks everyone for your input! Appreciate the help