Drilling the throttle plates

If you advance the timing at idle does it pick up RPM?

If it does, the engine wants the timing. If it's "warmed over" there isn't a book or set initial timing number, it's what the engine wants.

Probably going to have to set initial, then shorten up mechanical advance in the distributor.

My opinion on drilling throttle plates... don't do it unless every other option is exhausted.