Okay. The jury has returned a verdict and this is how they arrived at it:
1-Engine at operating temp. Idle about 800-900 RPM's. 17" of vacuum. Gauge said "Late Ignition Timing". Vacuum advance line is hooked up.
2-Tried removing the vacuum line to plug the port and line itself and the motor died immediately. Had no time to do anything but watch it.
3-I recalled that when I initially was finished with the cam break in, the car idled at 1500 RPM's. It previously was at 800 or so RPM's, with the old cam. Nothing changed on the carb. No one did anything with the settings. So, why so high?? I thought all along the timing and cam probably had something to do with it.
4-I put the line back on and started the motor. Ran fine. Set the RPM's to 1500 just like before.
5-Took off the vacuum line and you could see by looking at the motor, it wasn't thrilled about it, but it stayed running. Plugged the port and the line. This gave me a chance to see where the timing was.
6-The balancer timing mark was way above the "0" on the timing tab. Way up ATDC. I knew this wasn't right. Reduced the RPM's to keep the motor running so that it would stay that way and not run away at the same time. Started moving the distributor clockwise toward the firewall. Timing mark came down.
7-Went back and forth several times with the RPM's and timing, until I settled in at about 12-13 degrees advance at about 800 RPM's. Factory calls for 12 degrees but I like a little more.
8-Secured the distributor. Put the vacuum advance line back on and had to make a slight adjustment in RPM's. Presently at 800 RPM's. Still 17-18 inches of vacuum. Shut it off and tried starting it a few times. No problem.
9-Bottom line is, I think it needed much more advance then I was giving it, which was mentioned in several threads.
10-I don't want to overlook the overheating problem which was big. Without resolving that, I could never have gotten this far. Certainly has been a learning experience for me. Now, if I can just remember everything.
So, that's the story. I do believe I have it. Don't want to jinx myself. I can't say thank you enough to everyone collectively, who offered ideas, solutions, experiences, their personal time, etc. and were extremely patient with me. You're very kind to older people LOL. You guys are the best of the best. The "crème de la crème". Again, my sincere thanks, Carmine.
