You'll likely be able to advance the timing quite a bit past the ball & be OK. The timing was set up back then for a lot lower octane gas. I don't bother with the BB these days. I time to the fastest idle, retard a degree or two then fine tune using the octane selector. If it doesn't drag the starter or ping under load you're good to go.

Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet.
The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion.
Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.