Something isn't right..

TT5.9mag said

I don’t trust timing by ear except for maybe idle. What advance stop bushing is in the MSD distributor? Likely you have too much mechanical advance if you timed it by ear at idle and it has anything but the black bushing. And even then it might be too much if you’re above 18 or so initial. I would do two things before anything else. SET the timing where it needs to be. Something like 18-34. Then leave it there. Next I would verify rotor phasing and if it’s off correct it. MSD makes an adjustable rotor for that. It works awesome. Then, and only then work on the carb tune.

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I totally agree with you.. again if this was my own stuff....
I don't like tuning stuff by ear either and if it was my car I would buy the MSD timing light so I can verify things... I 100% understand and have discussed with my customer the timing needs to be somewhere between 18 to 22 initial and around 34 and possibly up to 36 All in...
It still has the original blue stop in it and that's probably part of the problem as well..
Lord knows I like this customer like I like all my customers but again I can't do anything but make suggestions. I watch them spend big money on stuff that their favorite racer on street outlaws has but not the stuff to tune it...
I brought my timing light I brought my vacuum gauge I brought my heat gun I brought anything he needs gave him an alternator.. brought the proper funnel so he could fill his transmission without pouring it all over the car. He currently has my spare electric fuel pump...
He has aspirations of drag racing this car and an entire MSD setup.. will he buy a timing light? Time will only tell...
One thing for sure when we rev it past three grand at a standstill it acts fine... Not pinging or knocking back or popping..