[blykins]

Hey Dan,

I assume you degreed your cam? There must be some reason that you have it advanced 3 degrees. This just affects cam timing though, and not ignition timing.

Let me ask you this...does it seem to run ok otherwise? I'm sure you know this....but I'll just ask for precautions....Just because the piston is at TDC, doesn't mean it's the correct TDC. It could be the TDC at the exhaust stroke and not the compression stroke. If you're not sure, then take the #1 plug out, stick your finger in the hole (make sure the coil wire is off) and turn the motor over (preferrably by hand and not a starter) until it blows your finger out. Then put you a dial indicator in the #1 hole and make sure true TDC is at 0 degree on your balancer.

From here on out, I can't really suggest any timing settings...I know in my SB, I run 12 degrees initial and 32 degrees total. You'll have to get one of the other guys to recommend some settings for a big block.