Well, got my engine back together today and fired it up...it sounds good, but still idles pretty rough and just doesn't feel as strong as I think it should. It's a basic 455 rebuild with a TA 288-94H cam...it ran really strong before spinning the bearing, but somehow seems "off" now. My brother stabbed the distributor in, but I recall before the vacuum advance was pointing directly into the fan, now it quite a bit farther towards the drivers side. (pic below) Could the distributor be a tooth or two off?
What's the timing at Paul? Distrib postion does not mean a thing, as long as the timing is set correctly.. We put them in so they "look right" but that does not mean it would not work like that. If the timing is set right. JW
It will certainly work like that Paul. The vacuum cannister should be facing the passenger side high beam, but that doesn't mean your distributor won't work like that. If you want, bring it up to TDC on the #1, and pull it out. Then make sure it goes in with the orientation correct. It's not off a tooth as long as you can set the timing correctly. The orientation just makes connections easier(vacuum advance hose close to fan?) Check your total timing(vacuum disconnected), and what RPM it's all in at. That has alot to do with seat of the pants feel.
