340 Tuning - I need advice

Robb said

Please bare with me here... If I advance the timing to 20 - 25 will I have pinging problems, and wont that further increase my idle? I have my idle set screw all the way out right now... will I have room for more adjustments? Maybe I am doing something wrong...

Also I don't know how to use a piston stop... any more avalible info on that?

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If I had to make a guess, and it is only a guess, I'd say you are way way way off timing. You can't even begin to tune the engine if you not on the idle circuit on the carb - indicated by the fact that no matter how you tune the carb it does nothing ... if I understand you right.

At this point I would disregard your timing marks and set you idle speed screw in till it touches and turn you distributor very very slowly in one direction at a time until you feel the engine settle down - don't even look at the timing light. Are you sure your distributor is not in 180 degrees off? ... because it can go in either way. If no matter how far you turn it makes no difference, than my guess is likely wrong and you have a vacuum leak you have not found yet. If not, at that point, do you have another distributor you can try? Are your wires all good?