Source for stock 11 o'clock timing pointer?

[2003SV]

It would appear that my new crate engine's harmonic balancer is incompatible with my timing pointer and I need an 11 o'clock timing pointer OR another harmonic balancer. All I can find are adjustable 11 o'clock pointers, but given that I can't accurately locate TDC, I'm not sure I should use one...

The motor I bought came with a driver's side pointer and that is how the motor was apparently dynoed. I bought a long block - it was not a complete ready to run motor. I bought a high flow water pump, driver's side inlet water pump and harmonic balancer from the company that sold me the crate motor.

As soon as I started to finish the build out, I could see the water pump COMPLETELY obscured the timing pointer so I called the company. The 'salesperson' (not sure their role) recommended a pointer from LMR (Late Model Restoration). I ordered one from them and it's apparently a Ford part. It appears to be a 10 o'clock pointer (which I didn't know at the time ...).

So the long shot of all this is that it appears my balancer is not compatible with the pointer I have. I fired the motor to time the pointer and man the motor was NOT happy. It would run, but barely jerking wildly. Now it's a "performance" 347 with roller cam, and I've never had a real performance V8 before but one ride around the block told me something wasn't right.

So I adjusted the distributor by hand/ear where the idle would smooth out and the motor would rev. With the vacuum advance disconnected and reving to 3500rpm, I'm reading just about 0 degrees based on the timing pointer and balancer I have....

I called the company about not being able to set total time and spent a very frustrating 1/2 hr with them explaining the problem and having them suggest different things, talking to other techs, etc. They suggested that I time the motor from the driver's side by getting UNDER the car!!!! hmmm someone revs to 3500 while sitting in the car and another person outside the car twists the distributor and a 3rd person uses a timing light while the motor screams at 3500 ... Then they suggested perhaps my MSD Pro Billet Ready to Run distributor might be bad... It didn't end very well...

So I guess I have to procure an 11 o'clock timing pointer OR get a different harmonic balancer... I'm pretty darn sure a timing pointer is way less money (and effort) than a new balancer... Any ideas for sourcing a stock Ford 11 0'clock pointer? Or maybe get an adjustable one, crawl under the car (motor not running) and set the balancer to zero degree wrt the driver's side pointer and just install an adjustable pointer, setting it's zero based on the driver's side pointer?

Thanks in advance (hey no pun intended).

[2003SV]

ummm... it just occurred to me after posting that there might be other solutions...

If I have a 10 o'clock pointer, which I THINK I have, then for total advance of 0 degrees at 3500 RPM, that would correlate to 30 degrees if I had an 11 o'clock timing pointer. So a quick (and maybe dirty solution) would be set timing to 2 degrees with what I have, which would correspond to 32 degrees with and 11 o'clock pointer...

That would get me total advance. At idle no timing marks are present so for now I would not know initial timing... but perhaps I can get the diameter of my dampener and see if I can get timing tape. I'd have to install the timing tape biased off by 30 degrees from zero (0). I think... Install the tape and I should be good to go. I think...

Agreed? thoughts?

[Mark O'Neal]

Timing tape.

Why can't you find TDC?

[twobjshelbys]

Isn't there another topic here? It has more info.

[2003SV]

Yes, this topic can be closed. I started here thinking my issue was that I simply needed an 11 o'clock timing pointer and all would be AOK. But then as I dug into the problem, it was more acute (and puzzling) than I simply needed an 11 o'clock pointer and would be done, and so I posted another topic with updated information.