Help on 408 build

Wouldn't it be a good idea to get it timed in the ball park, say 30-34 total (disconnect/leave disconnected, the vacuum advance for now to eliminate that and deal with it later) get the carb dialed in as best you can, do a compression test, and maybe source some race fuel? That's what I'd be doing in any particular order. Start simple and work towards the complex. Might be simple adjustments, all the way up to scr/dcr and component combination issues etc.