I'm finally at the point of setting up the 400 in my 67. I attempted to time it tonite but I'm confused about the timing marks. The tab on the front of the timing cover doesn't have any numbers. It only has three notches. Which of these three is TDC or what do they indicate? Thanks Harvey
Next to one of the notches is a hole. That's the zero point. Many of them also have another pair of holes just up from them about 4 notches that is the 10 degree point. Each notch is 2 1/2 degrees. The top of that indicator is 12.5 degrees. Unless your damper/balancer has been recently checked or rebuilt, they are known for shifting the timing mark and will give you erroneous readings. Even recalibrating it for TDC is a waste as it could shift again. Best bet is to pull it, ship it to the Damper Dudes in California to be rebuilt and reindexed. Dick Rollins at Supercars Unlimited will also take care of that for you with just a small markup. Great guy and probably the best source for Olds engine parts. Whatever you do, do NOT send it out through Dick Miller. You may not ever see it again or six months later or whatever. I'll take a pic of my 66 later today and show you what I mean.
Dave Thank you for the information. My "tab" has 3 notches. The lower notch has a roundish hole beside it. The middle notch has nothing and the top notch has a "roundish" hole plus a rectangular hole. Regarding the balancer, what's your opinion on an aftermarket one instead of having my old one rebuilt? Thanks again for your help! Harvey
I am afraid that Dave is talking about the later style and you are talking about the early one. On the early one it has only 3 notches the one that is closest to the drivers side tire is 0 degrees and the one that is counter clockwise from there is 10 degrees. The marks you describe as "The lower notch has a roundish hole beside it." is a number zero and the one you describe as "top notch has a "roundish" hole plus a rectangular hole" that is a number 10. Dave is right about having them rebuilt. I had mine marked for 20 degrees, 30 degrees, and 35 degrees while I was at it. Good luck!!:TU: Bob
Dave made a typo as I'm sure he knows its Greg Rollin. And he's right, Greg is a great guy and great source for Olds engine parts.
Hi Harvey - a trick I use is to mark the damper and tab with "typewriter correction ink" - the white stuff. It really pops under a timing light and makes it super easy to see. It usually comes in a small bottle with a fine brush attached to the cap. - Bill
Had these ready to go when the power went off.....again. Just came back on. BTW, I use a dial back timing light if you're wondering about the ink at the zero point. Old style (65-67) timing indicator from my 66 442: New style (1968-1972) from my 68 Ramrod: The 2 1/2 referred to "peaks and valleys".....both are 5 for each full cycle of the "notches".
Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. Mine is the old style in Dave's pictures. I haven't ordered a new balancer yet, but she runs much better with the timing set to factory specs. Do you fellows set your timing to the factory specs? My engine has a mild cam and high rise intake. Any suggestions on what to set the timing or the best way to find the optimum settings? Cheers Harvey
Take it to the track!!!! Easier and more predictable is going to the dyno. Or using what some others are using as a baseline. For myself, I have worked on the distributor and set the distributor to come all in by 2200-2500 and set total timing as 36 degrees. If you are just putting around, set it up by the factory settings, might just be a little easier to start and drive around!!!:TU:
Be careful putting a neutral balance damper on your car unless you have th engine rebalanced or have the new one matched to the one you're removing. Olds changed the way they balance engines in 1968 to neutral balanced flywheel/flexplate and dampers (think that's called internally balanced). Earlier ones balanced the damper flexplate/flywheel and crank as an assembly. Why not just get you original redone? Safest bet and it's the correct part. Beware of Chicom junk being sold on ebay these days. Too risky to save a coupla $$$.
Dave, regarding your second picture: -- Does your wife know you're using her lipstick on your car? What shade was origianlly used on the assembly line? -- More seriously, you labeled that timing tab as "68-72." I'm thinking it may have been '68 - 69 only. I'm working from not-so-good memory here, but I believe the '70 (and presumably those after) had more peaks and valleys, and each peak and valley was 2 degrees, not 2-1/2. They also went away from that nifty punched "0" and "10" and actually added a manufacturing step to stamp numbers on the tab. They must've gotten sick of people asking what the circle and rectangle mean. Sometimes an engineering design is too elegant for its own good .....
