Token

Who on earth would be dumb enough to put one of them on an engine? I don't get it. Is there a way that I am not seeing to check the timing? This engine I bought, well I just realized had no timing tab (aftermarket chrome timing cover). How are you supposed to read that??

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

you should be able to buy a pointer, that uses two of the cover bolts, and it should be accurate. You just buy the pointer meant for your balancer, ie, an 8" one say, then use the correct two bolts on the right side of the cover.

Token

Learn something new every day.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Note however that if you have a stock balancer for any of these cars, there is NO AFTERMARKET POINTER WHATSOEVER available that will work right; and that ANY aftermarket pointer you put on it, will be off by around 35°. Specifically, if you set the timing to where the light says 0°, it will actually be somewhere around 35° retarded.

Token

Wait what now???

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Jeg's sell them fairly cheap for nice units ($25). They appear to fairly nice compared to the Mr. Gasket tin pieces you can find at Autozone in the Dress-up Section.

I'm in the exact same boat. I bought the CompCams 3 pieces cover and needless to say no tab included and the bolts are tapered into the cover. I'm hoping to find extended cap screws to make it work though.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

fireturd, i'm in the opposite boat, i've got the summit 8" balancer, and cheapy $3 timing tab. the balancer sits so far in that the tab sticks out further.



I'm thinking i'll be buying one of those $30 pointed tip dealies.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Nasty... I'm putting mine on order tonight I think.

I dunno how it will work on my combo being the cover already sticks out there a long ways and the bolts mount to it, but we'll see. Hopefully I don't have the same problems you do.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

are you sure about that sofa? that sounds kinda strange...
they advertise them as being a nice dress up for a stock motor...?

I can picture what you mean, but can't you just use 2 higher bolts on the timing cover, and it'll be right?

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Sonix, is there any way you can get that timing marker off and "notch" it back at TDC or 0 so you can see the balancer marker?

I bought a jegs pointer a few yrs ago, had to do some modifing to make it work with mine, but it was nice-just be sure when you find true TDC that you use some locktite on the adjusting screws to keep it rock solid and prevent it from vibrating one way or another.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

I dunno, everything is super close in there.



You can kinda see the cover coming out. Basically take the regular kick out on a cover and put the bolt ends at the same distance.



Cover came out so far and wide it hit off the stock serpentine bracket so I had to take the grinder to a few edges on it.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

"What now" is, the stock stationary timing tab is expecting the mark on the damper to be at about 12:30 when #1 is at TDC; but the ones that go on under timing bolts, expect the mark to be at about 1:30.

The factory moved the mark, twice in the history of the SBC. The first move was from a tab that bolted under the bolts, to a welded tab; that happened in the mid-late 60s. It was about a 10° change in the location of the mark. The second move was when they changed the power steering pump location to be in front of the motor, instead of beside it; that was in the late 70s. At that point, the mark moved from near the TC flange, to teh CENTER of the timing cover. AFAIK there are NO AFTERMARKET TABS WHATSOEVER for the late style damper.

Just look at a stock timing cover sometime, and observe where the tab is, namely, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE; and measure how long the thing that goes under timing cover bolts would have to be, just to reach over that far. It would have to be about 4" long. The ones you buy in the section of the store for people easily distracted by shiny things, is less than 2" long. Obviously won't be accurate.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Interesting... What if they set it using a piston stop way to find true TDC and used that to set the pointer on the balancer and scribed a new line in it?

Token

That's what I intend on doing- putting the engine to true TDC before putting the heads on to set the timing marker.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, you could always get timing tape too if you rather go that route. That way your pointer would actually say TDC for the balancer. I've never used it though so I have no idea how it would hold up.

ME Leigh

You can get an adjustable timing tab made by spectre. I had to do this for my 305 so i could even see the tab. I have a short water pump and had to move the tab over to the right so i could even get a light on it. All i did was take the motor up to tdc and set the new tab in the right location on the timing tape i put on the balancer.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

IHI, yea, notch it, that's a good idea... I was going to just grind it back, but I think if I put a slot at 0, and a mark there, then open it up at the outer part so I can read the #'s, that would work. I emailed summit to let them know that these two summit parts didn't play well together.

What I meant was that they "normally" bolt onto two bolts on the right of the timing cover, but what if you used one of the upper bolts, and one of the right side bolts? I thought that would bring it up more centered. But hey, never tried it, so i'll take your word for it not working. I'm either going to try and modify mine (along with a piston stop to make sure i'm accurate) or buy a handy dandy adjustable one with one of those sharp points to it.

token, are you re-using your stock timing cover then? might want to get a cheap 2 piece aftermarket one. They're shinier

IHI

iTrader: (1)

So long as the head is off and you mount a dial indicator to find true TDC you'd be fine so you know how far in to run the piston stop, but piston designs will vary on actual depth it gets run in, you cant just take it out of the package, thread it in the hole where ever you think and call it TDC.

Otherwise if engine is all together you can probably borrow a degree wheel and do the math so you can find exact TDC, otherwise your still taking a chance of it being off a few degrees or worse.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Well I installed the stop I was turning it TDC (no valve movement). Once it stopped I marked it. I removed the stop (leaving the set nut where it was) and cranked it past TDC, then put the stop back in. I rotated it backwards using a turning tool till it stopped again (once again no valve movement). Marked it. Then measured to dead in the center of the 2 marks using flexable sewing tape. That should be TDC, correct?

I had the heads on so no dial bore and the pullies were already on with the brackets so no degree wheel.

All I have left to do is install a jegs needle type pointer to 0* on balancer. I marked a line on the cover and balancer so it'll be as simple as lining those up before setting the pointer.

I suppose I could always double check by pulling the valve cover rotating it to marked TDC putting in the stop and adjusting it till it no longer screws in by hand. See if I can crank the motor either way with feeling it hit the stop. Back it out a just little bit and try again. My guess as long as it turns both ways it's true TDC as you can get.

BTW I'm appalled at the fact you think I just took it out of a package and threw it in. The only package it ever came in was a spark plug box. I knocked the center out of it, used 3/8" (?) threader on it, and regular threaded rod stock with a set nut in it. Bam a custom piston stop that requires no welding to the bolt to make it work.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

LOL, dont be appauled, did'nt imply anything just making sure

It would not be a bad idea to double check your mark so you can get it as close as possbile. depending on how thick the mark was you put on balancer it could be a degree off there, do just like you said with the marks and double check it.

If it ends up being a few degrees off so be it, you'll be tuning the engine per application anyways so if it like 34* total timing, but is actually reads at 36*-who cares? so long as your not setting it at 54 degrees seen that happen before. but it be nice to double/triple check check to get it as close to true tdc as possible.

B Rhodes

I have a motor in a old chevy truck that had a newer balancer with the old style timing tab cover when I got it. I looked in a chevy interchange manual and found it was 35 deg difference. I just used a dial back timing light set at 35 deg and timed it like that.