Super tuning car runs good shooting for great

So how would you know what the timing is at while at a certain load without a chassi dyno? drive around with a vacuum gauge and log the vacuum readings at different speeds, hook up a vacuum pump to the distributor and right down the corresponding timing?

well I bumped the timing to 17-34 closed off the secondaries hooked up the vacuum advance. ran like crap. opened the secondaries back up kept the ported vacuum hooked up. ran better.

you beet me to it