Cam break in on the ‘68! I think she survived…

Isaiah Estrada

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Okay so we were able to go in for round two. First time we got it to run we shut her down almost immediately because we noticed it wasn’t running right. Had a misfire, loose spark plug wire #6 was the culprit. Also, my timing was way too advanced. Brought her down to 35° at 3,000 rpm. Vacuum advance disconnected of course. After the 20 mins of running at 3,000 - we couldn’t get it to idle. I’m betting it’s either my timing being off still or carb adjustment.

 
Congrats on getting it running.

Vacuum leaks can cause idle problems.

What timing advance do you have at idle?
 
Congrats on getting it running.

Vacuum leaks can cause idle problems.

What timing advance do you have at idle?

Thank you! I don’t believe there are any vacuum leaks, I’ve plugged everything. Maybe possible that my carb gasket isn’t sealing properly. That’s the only thing I could think of.

I have 10° of initial advance.

Don't you want 35° all in with the vacuum advance?

I probably should! I just read multiple threads on a few Mopar sites saying I should leave the vacuum advance disconnected. I will hook it back up and try to tune this engine. See if I can get it running smooth!
 
Vacuum advance off and set the all in timing to 35 at 3000rpm then plug the advance back in!
 
I suspect your timing is right and that you have another ignition issue. It COULD be the carburetor, but make DAMNED SURE of your ignition before opening the next can of nightcrawlers....
 
10* initial, 35* total with the vacuum advance disconnected should be fine for a stock-ish 440 rebuild. Did you verify the TDC pointer with a piston stop?
 
I suspect your timing is right and that you have another ignition issue. It COULD be the carburetor, but make DAMNED SURE of your ignition before opening the next can of nightcrawlers....
Probably wouldn't hurt to blow all holes out in the carb with some cleaner! Also, NICE CAR!
Solid advice. Berryman B12 be good stuff for that.

Merry Christmas to All....

Thanks for the solid advice fellas! Do you think a new carb fresh out the box would really need some chemtool? Not opposed to it, just curious! I bought a different gasket. I honestly think it’s the thick Fel Pro one I’m using with these weird brass rings where the mounting holes are.

Plan to set up my carb for a simple base tune - transfer slots set to a square and my air-fuel screws out 2.5 turns. Will use a vacuum gauge from there to dial the carb in (didn’t know how to use it for tuning but now am confident after watching some tutorials!)

I might rip out my dizzy and try to find 0 again and re-try my initial timing. Will go for 10 again and make sure my wires are correct. Hoping this will solve my idling issues!

10* initial, 35* total with the vacuum advance disconnected should be fine for a stock-ish 440 rebuild. Did you verify the TDC pointer with a piston stop?

Didn’t use a piston stop, I went ahead and had a friend hold his finger over the spark plug hole till compression blew it out and our 0 mark on the damper was matching air he timing tab! I am going to try this procedure again and try something else. I saw a trick, with the coil hot (ignition on) have the rotor pointing at 1 and then put the cap back on. Take spark plug wire #1 with a spark plug plugged in and near a grounded surface. If you move the distributor you should be able to find the exact point where it fires by physically seeing the plug arc. I think this method will help me feel more confident in my timing and be close to where it should be at least… all trial and error.
 
....Did you verify the TDC pointer with a piston stop?
VERY GOOD suggestion here! Coiled rope doesn't quite cut it fine enough for this kind of operation. If one doesn't already own a good 14mm piston stop, then THIS is THE TIME to GET ONE! Knowing the EXACT TDC location on the cam and crank makes a crucial difference when first breaking in, rather than just BREAKING a brand new build.
 
VERY GOOD suggestion here! Coiled rope doesn't quite cut it fine enough for this kind of operation. If one doesn't already own a good 14mm piston stop, then THIS is THE TIME to GET ONE! Knowing the EXACT TDC location on the cam and crank makes a crucial difference when first breaking in, rather than just BREAKING a brand new build.

I've seen balancer rings slip, especially on used parts, it definitely never hurts to make sure.
 
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