Installing a new chain in my 88 350 the bottom sprocket has 3 dots I know the center one is for regular install, if I were to use the advance of retard will my engine run bad or will I just need to reprogram my chip to match?
Reason is I am installing Trick Flow Twisted Wedge Heads and My valve is hitting the piston on the intake side with only .505 lift and I'm hoping this may help.

 

How did you time it? If you timed the cam straight up and having clearance issues it's not going to help to advance/retard the cam. Most of those sprockets provide a 4 degree adv/retard. This will move the power curve around 500 rpm either way.

 

Found the cause of the problem I knew as soon as I post I would find the cause. turned out to be I had it in the wrong mark. I need to pay better attention to detail and not rush things. Thanks for the fast reply

 

If the intake valve is hitting you want to retard the cam to help open up the clearance. Expect no miracles, however. If you have actual physical contact "straight up" ('O' keyway), retarding the cam by 4* (rectangle keyway) won't buy you enough clearance in a running engine. It'll still hit when you rev it up.

You need to go a little deeper into WHY you are having contact and fix it. Advancing or retarding the cam a few degrees is not how you fix a problem like this.

 

and I'm a professional automotive machinist. You should plan on some thicker head gaskets at a minimum. Fel Pro offers 'em, in MLS, in 0.062" and I seem to recall there's one even thicker. Yes, you lose quench, if you hafta vgo thick, but those heads need to come off anyway to double-check everything, before you bend all your intake valves.