Thread: Setting timing after Distributor removal

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I had to pull the distributor to replace the intake manifold gaskets on my '68 Corvette with 427/390 hp engine. I marked the distrubutor and when I replaced it the car started fine but ran rough. No backfiring just kinda shook the car thought. If I advanced the spark it ran a little better then starte to run rough as I went farther. If I decreased the timing to a point I had run the car at before the repair, the car would stall.

Ok heres my dumb mistake, I pulled the distributor and set the engine to TDC so I thought, and reinstalled the distributor with the vacume advance pointing about 45 degrees across the enging, and the rotor pointing between the #1 and #8 towers on the distributor cap. When I tried to start the engine, all I got was misses and backfires. I thought I might be out by a few teeth on the distributor gear, so I pulled the distributor and turned it counter-clockwise about 3 teeth. Now I get no backfires but the engine won't start.

Any help would be appreciated, Thanks in advance,
Kevin

Welcome to CHR Kevin
If you do a search under "distributor timing".........
you will find all kinds of threads dealing with timing issues. You should be able to find some answers there.

Thanks for the reply, After reading some other achived posts I am wondering if I am 180 degrees out on the distributor or 360 out on the engine and coming up on the exhaust instead of the intake part of the cycle.

Assuming I am firing #1 on the exhaust instead of the intake part of the cycle, I am wondering if this will work. If I spin the distributor 180 degrees from its current position and turn the oil pump to line up, would that then put it firing #1 on the intake instead of the exhaust?

Thanks
Kevin

Pull #1 spark plug, put #1 cylinder at TDC on the compression stroke. Verify that you are on the compression stroke by holding your finger over the plug whole, you will feel the air coming out from compression. Just bump the engine over a little bit at a time, don't spin it. Mark the distributor where #1 plug wire is. Once you are sure you are on the compression stroke, drop the distributor in with the rotor pointing to the #1 tower on the cap.

Thanks for the help. I did start over and got the same results. So I did a 180 on the distributor and then it started but still seemed a little rough. I then move the distributor by one tooth on the gear in each direction and one of the moves made the engine run very smooth. I then, using a vacume gauge, I adjusted the distributor until I got maximum vacume before it started to drop off. The engine now runs smooth and start easier than it ever has.

Thanks again for all of the help!
Kevin

Good to hear you got it tweaked and tuned Kevin, gonna post us some pics of the car sometime??? Not a chebbie guy, but I do appreciate older Vettes.

Here you go Dave. The one shot is from the Gilmour Acadamy show I did about five years ago. The other pic is from the other day of the engine. Its still has the original block, manifold and all the numbers match. I've had this car since it was 13 years old. I'm the 3rd owner.

Thanks again for the help.