The parts came in today. Most important one was the new 184 tooth ring gear. I waited at the machine shop while they heated and pressed it onto the old flywheel (you remember, the extremely heavy old school 40 pound boat anchor flywheel).
Anyway, it occured to me that the GEAR RATIO has now changed. 152 teeth is a TALLER gear than 184 teeth. The engine won't turn over as FAST as it used to with the 152 tooth gear. It will turn slower now with the 184 tooth and thus crank over with more torque! Perhaps running 20-22 base timing won't be near as much of a problem as it was with the "high speed" 152 ring gear! Surprisingly, gear teeth mesh/match is about equal for both flywheels. I was getting a good "bite", before and now, but the starter was just struggling to spin the motor with the advanced timing and the 152 tooth.
Or, is my math hopelessly screwed up here?