how should i set my base timing. i have a new rebuilt engine, edelbrock intake, lt1 cam. i had it set at 9° and it seemed fine. i went to 6 and i think it might be a tiny bit slower. i set it to 16 and the exhaust sounded more aggressive. it sounded nicer but i went back to 6 because i didn't konw if that was too much. im running the cop car chip. its a 357 LO5. im also using winaldl. should i use that and look at knock counts?

 

Cop car eprom is for an auto, your sig says stick. Where did you get this eprom if you don't mind me asking. Just assuming (which is usually bad) but does your factory shift light work "funny".
Set the base timing to whatever the car likes. To be safe run the least amount of timing without a losse in measurable performance (doesn't include the butt dyno). You might want to hook up winaldl or a scan tool under WOT to check for knock counts. One or 2 here and there is normal but having them count up frequently during a long drive and in the same rpm/map cell is a sign of detonation (or you've got a really stiff suspension and keep hitting the biggest pot hole at that exact mph and engine speed ).

 

yes it is for an auto. my shift light never worked. ive never seen it come on. i got it from i think the gm achive board site. the link i think was in the tech article about prom burning. how many knocks should i have after a quick burst of speed from 1st through 3rd

 

So I take it you burn your own eproms. As far as knock counts are concerned, you don't want any in theory but realisticaly if you had none the ecm would through a code and most likely retard the timing almost till it stalls. The ecm performs self-tests to verifty that the knock sensor is working. RBob knows the specifics but for the most part they are used after a certain coolant threshold and mph, then under WOT and light throttle the ecm will advance the timing until there is some detonation, then it's good for a while before it does the self test again.
What do you mean the shift light never worked?

 

what will happen if i dont have the knock sensor pluged up. i bought a new one the other day and when i was trying to take my old one out i striped it. and the conector just broke like ashes in my hand

 

i have never seen my shift light come on. ive never checked for a fuse or anything to see if it worked though.