The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop My timing is retarded.

the octane selector is an absolutely obsolete feature. I have never touched mine in 30 years. I am also wondering which spark plug wire you have the timing light hooked to. (its the front cylinder) In any case, if nothing else, turn the engine by hand until you see the BB lined up with the pointer in the window. And the proper cylinder is on compression, (if the #6 is up, you could just put the timing light on that cylinder, rather than turning it another revolution. Then remove the distributor cap, and loosen the distributor, turn on the ignition, turn the distributor clockwise until the points open and then close again, then turn the distributor counterclockwise until you just barely get a spark at the points. lock the distributor down, and turn off the ignition.(you probably know that last part, but just in case) and it should be almost dead on. At least you should be able to see the BB. if not your timing light is bad, which it sounds like it may be already. OH YEAH, there is absolutely no need to by high octane fuel, these engines barely have enough compression to run, much less cause a detonation problem. And there is no reason to use ethanol free gasoline, it won't hurt it at all. It may free up a bunch of crud that was in the tank and cause you a bit of trouble there. There might also be an issue with the rubber bits in the fuel system, (notice I said "MIGHT") but once you get all the old rubber stuff replaced, the alcohol won't cause any problems. but if you really want to waste your money, by all means go ahead.