heres the problem..fresh 327,duntov cam(254 @ .50 int/exh, .485 intake/exhaust,10.3 comp)been having problems for the first week or so ive been driving it because of what i thought was the starter(when you tried to turn it over itd make a big clunking noise like something was hitting or starter wasnt engaging correctly,and
start turning over slow making the starter wire get pretty hot)after swapping starters,looking for messed up teeth on the flywheel,even shimming the starter a few times,i finally saw that it spun over no problem with the key off when turning over(i have a starter button)so then i figured my plug wires were wrong and thats excactly what it was.the rotor was pointing to my #2 post(#8 cylinder)when it should have been on #1 post(#1 cylinder)...ok now that ive got the explained whenver i did get it to crank up this way(with the plug wires all 1 post off,this motor ran great.it was real snappy,and had a lot of ass down low..now that ive got the wires on the correct post,the motor seems sort of like a dog down low..i havent been able to take it up high yet,but i have definately lost some throttle responce and power down low.i know 327s arent known for lots of tourque down low,but like i said theres a big difference between what it had compared to now.just wondering if its possible i caused some sort of damage?timing right now is 12 initial,havent even messed with total yet.also having the wires all off 1 like i did,would this have advanced or retarded the timing?sorry for the long read i was just trying to explain my excact problem..thanks

Is this 12 degrees without a vacuum advance hooked up? Is your mechanical advance working good? With that much cam and smaller engine you might find it likes 16 or 18 initial and upwards of 38 or 40 degrees total, if it will take it.

thanks for the quick reply..yes thats 12 without vacuum advance hooked up..if all the wires being off 1 advanced the timing that much,then it makes perfect since that it might like a lot more timing...

Did you shim the starter properly the first time you try to start it if it sounds a little funny take the time to get it right if it ever makes that "big clunking noise"
there is a good chance the starter is not going to last too long for some reason, you can have all the wires off 1,2,3 positions on the cap it doesent matter as long as they are in the correct order if you use a timing light the timing will be correct your just rotating the distributor farther

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307ci 14.21 spinning!

yea thats what im saying i dont understand because i did shim the starter 3 times and it made no differnce until i got it so far away it wouldnt even contact the flexplate.i finally took all the shims out and changed the plug wires back around and just like the starting problem is fixed it just seems like it lost a lot of lowend.im just trying to figure out why it was so hard to crank and ran so good the other way..basically what im trying to say is the #8 cylinder(#2 post)was firing when #1 cylinder(#1 post)was a TDC...any ideas?thanks for the quick repsonces so far...

what is your timing set at? Initial and total with the vac advance disconnected?

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350ci,14.3:1,iron heads, pump gas(87octane) and a 175 shot! 8.80 1/8 mile

right now with the vacuum unhooked i have it at 12 intial and not too sure on the total since i havent put timing tape on the balancer yet..also Mwilson is your engine balanced?i downloaded your video a while back and it sounded pretty clean revving.

Yeah its balanced, that just helps it last longer though i believe, the motor was actually cold in the vid i had just fired it up in the morning.
Do you have a buddy with a dial back light?
How is the battery and cables?
a 600 cca battery will make life miserable!
even at a full charge



[This message has been edited by Mwilson (edited January 11, 2005).]

Make sure your centrifugal advance isn't already kicking in a handfull of degrees at whatever your engine is idling at. It's not at all uncommon to have 4-5* of centrifugal already kicked in at, say, a 1000 RPM idle. That would make you TRUE initial timing about 7-8*. That'll make it doggy for sure.

Try idling the engine down as low as it will possibly hold an idle when you set the timing. I bet you find it slips back a few degrees more when you do this.