Just what is "mild"? A comp XE268H likes anywhere from 16-20 initial timing in almost every car I've ever tuned. And to me that is a VERY mild camshaft. Stock 318, 340's and 360's like 12-14. Start putting larger cams in them and that number goes up.
Initial timing doesn't kill anything... total timing is where you get hurt. And getting the complete system (initial, total, curve) correct takes a little work.
Engines will tell you what they want for initial timing. Give them what they want within the mechanical limits of the total system and be done with it. Dialing back on timing is a crutch and was done by the factory for one purpose, to meet emissions guidelines. That's why later cars were timed at such crappy initial settings. 68-69 cars barely had sufficient initial timing by the book.
