[bob_t]

Last week I thought we seized my brothers engine, turned out to be the starter, so we got it back to life and it's running again.

However, since we rebuilt the top end, from the cam up, the engine just doesn't have the power it should. I am thinking that the distributor is off a tooth. The car is timed and idles good, sounds like it wants to make alot of power when you hit the throttle. But under a load it just wants to bog down.

So how can I tell it the dizzy is correct or not. I have the rotor pointing to the #1 wire on the cap. Should I try to re-stab it, and if so, should I advance or retard it.

Thanks again,

 

[NitroPress]

If the timing is correct, the distributor is not off.

Keep in mind that distributor positioning is "flexible" - there is no timing mark on the cam that you have to match to the distributor drive. As long as the distributor body is in the correct orientation to permit it to be rotated for adjustment and you've turned the shaft (and rotor) to point at what you want to call the #1 plug wire while #1 cylinder is at TDC, nothing else matters. You can even "rotate" the firing order around the cap by choosing a different wire as #1. (Something you might do to tidy up the plug wire routing, for example.)

The only time "off a tooth" comes into play is when you pull the distributor on a working engine and then put it back. What will happen is that the timing will be way off and you won't be able to turn the distributor far enough to bring the engine back into time.

Sounds like your problem lies elsewhere. Did you degree the cam?

 

[bob_t]

Unfortunately, the cam was not degreed, it was installed on the straight up marks, not advanced, not retarded.

 

[dodgestang]

Idles good but bogs down when you hit the gas....sounds like a carb adjustment to me.

 

[sidewinder]

Is it possible that the timing chain isn't installed correctly. I've seen it do just what your saying before after the timing chain jumped a tooth.

 

[jarconco]

I had a similar problem with my car, and after switching the carburator, distributer, etc... it turned out to be the vacuum advance was going bad. Switched it out and the car ran great.