Thread: 327 timing

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quick question for ya. the 50 merc i just bought has a 68-69 327 out of a vett,i know nothing of what was done to this engine prior to me buying it,the problem is when i turn the disributor to where the engine runs smooth ,the timing light shows around 50 or so degrees btdc. Standing in front of the engine ,the timing tab is on the right top. I was told it`s on the wrong side . any thoughts? i`ll post pics as soon as i figure out how to

Somebody's mixed some parts. You need a damper off the same style engine as the front cover.

I`ve never messed with chevy engines before,is there a visible difference between dampers? Or should i just buy a new cover & damper. i`m trying to avoid tearing down the engine to get a accurate timing mark

Just be carefull, the bolt on timing pointer for a 327, 350, or 305 will all bolt on----I already danced this dance----Damn near went nuts trying to figure out why the timing mark on my 305 balancer was so far out of whack, when the car ran good. It turned out that a parts guy had sold me a bolt on timing pointer for a 350. It bolted right on, and pointed to the totally wrong spot.

The one i have looks like the picture on the right. the timing tab shows tdc at about the 1o-clock position,but the timing mark is at about the 10;30-11 o;clock position . Well thanks for the info i`ll see what i can find at the parts store, if i can find any one with brains that works there!

Just to mess with your head----it is possible to install the distributor with the gear 1 tooth out. By turning the distributor body, the car will still run fine---but the timing mark on the harmonic balancer won't be anywhere near the pointer, even if its the right pointer.

Please school me a little here. I don`t understand what difference distributor placement makes,as long as your crank and cam are timed correct,and your distributor is fireing on #1 at tdc. it seems to me you can place it anywhere you want , If i`m wrong please teach me something new.

If the distributor is 1 tooth off, the rotor will not be firing #1 cylinder @ TDC, it will fire 1 tooth before or 1 tooth after. The distributor must be timed on the cam along with the crank.

Excuse me Johnauto, but your wrong. The distributor can be off as many teeth as you want, and as long as the plugwires are arranged in the cap, or the distributor is turned so that you are getting a spark when number one cylinder is at top dead center, the engine will run fine.---but----there are limitations on how far you can turn the distributor, because the vacuum advance will hit the firewall. Additionally, there is only one "location" where the mesh of the gear is correct in relationship to where the timing pointer is located.
The correct way to do this, assuming that you have the correct timing pointer on the engine, is to pull number one plug out (front of car drivers side plug on small block chev), nudge engine with starter (coil wire disconnected) untill you feel engine starting to blow air out the plug hole, then turn engine with socket and Johnson bar on crank pulley untill timing mark on harmonic balancer is lined up with timing pointer. Take the cap off and see which contact inside the cap the rotor is pointing to.---That is where your number one plug should be wired to. On most small blocks, that will be the terminal closest to the front of the engine, slightly towards drivers side of center. If you find that the rotor is pointed more than about 10 degrees either way from that position, then your distributor may be out by one or two teeth. The car will still run that way---but your timing marks will never line up when using a timing light.

Thanks for the backup. I thought i was right , but then again i`m not an expert. I was diggin through every book i have trying to figure out how you could set it wrong.

Hey Denny---I never seen that diagram before for the plug wire locations. I thought 327 was the same as 350. I have always set my 350's and 305's up as per the information I gave in my post. The information I gave was for an HEI distributor. Sorry if I screwed somebody up----Brian

Excuse me brianrupnow, but I was assuming we were discussing how to get the distributor meshed to the cam gear in the only one “location” where the mesh of the gear is CORRECT in relationship to where the timing pointer is located as you stated.
Not put the distributor in just anywhere then move the plug wires in their WRONG locations to get the car to run fine. The rest of your procedure is correct with one exception. If done correctly the rotor should be pointing to the terminal closest to the front of the engine slightly towards the PASSENGER side, not the DRIVERS side.
(see diagram posted by DennyW).