I bought a new carb and distributor. I was wondering I wanted to swap carburetors my self but I don’t have the timing tools necessary for the distributor. Can I swap carburetors and drive it to a shop (30 miles away) to swap distributors with everything being ok? Can the car run with the computer distributor in and no cc carburetor

 

For 30 miles? yes

Once it's running just set the inital up to around 20* and drive it to the destination. don't try to start it again though.

 

um 1 question though i don't have anything to set timing thats whole perpous to take it to a shop.and i wanted them to tune it perfect to so thats why i am putting carb on first if anyone ask why.

 

If i don't touch the distributor at all and dissconnect the computer from it so it can not advance or retard shouldn't it run ok not perfect but ok?

 

anyone else?

 

TTT

 

If it doesn't get power it won't work at all. Without computer advance all you'll have is initial which is usually around 6*. That's not enough to drive around with. You'll have to turn the distributor some to get more advance.

 

whe you say 6* of advance is not enough what do you mean? i honestly do not know the perpouse for advancing and retading. sorry if i am asking dumb questions but i like to learn. so here is the real question if i remove the carb don't touch anything else but the carb will it run good enough for a 30min drive to a shop to do distributor swap?

 

advance is the amout of crankshaft degrees at which point the plug is fired....

examle:

a typical TPI motor is 6 degres before TOP DEAD CENTER (TDC is the point were the connecting rod is parallel in the cylinder),..so at idle and cranking the motor will fire the plug 6 degrees before TDC,...then theres whats called centrifigal advance...this is the spinning of the rotor in the dist..in a CC dist this is control by the computer...you wont have this now....and the result of only having 6 degress of timing, will be a burnt piston....now if you advance the distributor (turn it counterclockwise) and youll want to turn it a good inch...youll have around 20 degress timing so as long as you really dont load it up and keep the revs down youll be ok

 

wow a burnt piston! i didn't know it could do this much damage thanks for the info by the way i think will just have the shop put in the none-cc distibuter in and i will do the carb after then take it back and have it re adjusted more money but safer! i know the carb will run without the computer but it seems it useless to try the other way around.. thanks

 

I am not saying that you should do this but, I had a friend do the same thing on his TBI truck. He wanted to go carb and non-CC distributor. We didn't have a timing light or any thing so we took the cap off the old distributor and marked where the rotor was pointing, then we made a mark on the distributor body pointing to the front of the engine(straight foward). We transferred that mark to the new dist and installed it in the same position. Then as we started the engine we left the distributor a little loose and moved it a little until the motor fired up. Then we moved it slightly until the engine idled smoothly( vacuum advance disconnected). We drove it 25 miles takin it easy and it ran fine. When we got to my other friends house we borrowed his timing light and it turns out that we were only off by 2 degrees!! I guess we got lucky.

 

Instead of paying a shop to do it, buy a timing light for $30 and do it yourself, since you want to learn. Its really easy.

Just a suggestion.

Oh, your right too. If you have to have the shop do it, have them swap distributors first, then drive it home and swap the carb. The carb can run in 'limp-home' mode fine.

 

It's here! wow this carb is a monster in size to my stock Q-jet she looks beutiful!

 

Id say u were lucky lol....my motor idled PERFECTLY smooth with 28 degrees base timing....then 21 mechanical..then 18 vacuum ...got a timing light and nearly **** my pants when the flash from the light wasnt even on the number on the timing tape....i cranked the dist. like 3 inches around and i saw the numbers lol...got her round to 10 and bolted it down



I also suggest timing it in yourself...its not that hard to "learn" but its a great tuning tool to know how to do...