72 360 first start question
ok so here's my new question, regardless of wether the dampener set at zero or 15 or 30, Am i meant to point the rotor at the tooth that is approaching #1 cylinder ) basically (#3CYLINDER) or directly at the #1? If I'm directly at #1 with the dampener at 15 deg. it doesn't wanna run that well. but pointing at #3 approaching #1 it wants to run all day. I still can't get it to a reasonable idle. At the above described setting i can get it to run with no throttle screw advance, and backing the diet. down all the way to 12-24 deg. advanced. That sounds fine but it's still sounds like it's gonna snap my neck if i try and put it in gear. If i back the dist. down one more degree it suddenly sounds like a good idle but then wants to die. super close but still confused????
The above is not at all clear. When you say rotor, do you mean the spark rotor under the distributor cap? And when you mean tooth, do you mean tooth on the reluctor wheel on the distributor shaft? (The trigger wheel?)
I am assuming you have the standard Mopar ignition system; can you please confirm?
The spark rotor should point at the distributor cap tower tower where the #1 spark plug wire is connected when damper is at the number of degrees BTDC where you want the initial timing.
At that crank setting, one of the reluctor trigger teeth on the distributor shaft should be pointed right at the reluctor's pick up gap.
If you have the Mopar ignition system, read this:
If you have to set up the distributor with the reluctor's trigger tooth pointing somewhere beside directly at the reluctor pickup gap to get the timing and running right , then you likely have the reluctor wiring/phasing backwards. This is corrected by reversing the 2 wires from the distributor to the electronic module. If it is backwards, the module will be firing on the wrong slope of the reluctor pulse, and timing will be erratic, varying all over hell and creation, and it will run poorly.
While you are there, set the gap between the reluctor trigger wheel teeth and the reluctor. It should be .008" and needs to be set WITHOUT using a steel feeler gauge, which can mess up the reluctor. Use a brass .008" shim or 3 sheets of standard copier paper to set the gap. Get that check out of the way.
BTW, what cam again? Hard to tell if the 12" vacuum is good or not without knowing the cam. 12" is too low for a stockish cam.