Help. I went to play with my timing, and it reads 35 degrees advanced base timing. What the heck? The car run fine. No knocking whatsoever. Is this just a simple case of the wrong timing tab? Or do some SBC actually take 35 degrees base? I didn't do the original tune. A performance shop did it. Any opinions? If it is the wrong tab, do I just subtract 20 to get my true timing?

If it helps, my damper is a fluidamper PN 716242.
It's 6.75" O.D. So I'm not sure if my timing pointer is supposed to be at the 12 oclock or the 2 oclock.
It's at the 2 oclock now.

anyone?

35* base timing sure sounds like a lot. It should be between 6 and 10, based on engine model.
Is this a carbed engine or a computer controlled injection system? If you have a carbed engine with a vacuum advance or mechanical advance on the distributor, follow the proper procedure for checking/setting the base timing. Maybe the vacuum line is plugged/cracked/dryrotted, maybe the centrifugal weights are sticking in full advance.

Hope this helps.
Lou

Are you running a carb or fuel injection? More info about your engine would be nice. If you have a carb and it's computer controlled, make sure you've disconnected the 4-wire connector from the back of the distributor. Other than that, we need to know more about your car, engine and set up.

Youre cam chain cover is ment to have the timing tab at 12 oclock, the 2 oclock are for older engines (don't know what year they changed) Is there a mark on the cover that the performance shop may have put there to do youre timing or an extra mark on youre harmonic balencer?

It's a non CC qjet with a non cc Hei dist w/vacuum advance, but i disconnect the vacuum when setting initial timing.
Does the year of the engine really matter? I've got an aftermarket damper anyway. (the one listed in my other post).

I dunno. Maybe the cam is big enuf that it wants that much advance.
230 duration at .05 and .480 lift.

if you have an aftermarket tab and timing cover it could be off just read in car craft that the aftermasrket stuff is for like pre 69 motors and then in 70 to 86 or 87 i think it was 2degrees off then they changed again and were 40degrees off i had the same problem when i put an aftermarket cover and tab on mine when i did my TPI conversion i had mine set at like 20 or 30 on my dialback light and it was running rich and sluggish now i got mine at about 55 on my dialback on it runs great now