The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Timing Mark/TDC /HEI Question

Members:
I have read in the past about timing marks on the fly wheel. I have looked and I can't see anything. The hole near the starter on the fly wheel has a spike hanging down from the top and ending in the middle..like it's supposed to be pointing at something. I have turned the motor by hand and could not find anything it was to be pointing at...
I removed all components off my motor to strip and repaint, I'm putting in an HEI and I want to find top dead center on the #1 cylinder...Whats the best way to do so? I'm waiting for my electrical switch to finish my wiring...so I can't turn motor over by power. So how can I static time/placement of HEI.
Thanks

You're looking for two marks one is a triangle and the other is a "BALL" ,remove the cover from the bottom of the bell housing and take a rag and clean the dirt off the inside of the flywheel as you're cleaning you'll come across the two marks the triangle is cast into the flywheel and the ball is what looks like a ball bearing pinched into a hole in the flywheel they get dirty and you can't see them.Then you can line up the ball and pointer to set up you're HEI,Just a reminder that ball and pointer line up at TDC and 180 degrees off so check No. 1 intake valve as you're lining up the ball.



Pete

The marks are there on the flywheel- - - - -they're just hard to see sometimes. Take the dust cover off the bottom of the bellhousing and give the front of the flywheel a thorough cleanup. Once you're under there, a big screwdriver or a pry bar in the ring gear teeth will let you lever the flywheel around a few teeth at a time. The timing mark you're looking for will look like a ball a little bigger than a BB imbedded into the front of the flywheel. Align it with the pointer in the bellhousing window, and turn the distributor housing CCW until the points just barely open. That sets the initial spark timing close enough to start and run. You can tinker with the timing after that on a road test for the best performance.
Jerry

What if his HEI doesn't have any points?

Jimmi_V Timing Marks and here ...

Healingbear:
Thanks alot for the pics...I was under the truck tonight and the flywheel is pretty dirty..couldn't see anything. Also, I could turn the motor over by hand using the flywheel....the plugs are loose and the dist. isn't in, & no oil in the motor yet. I'll clean the fly wheel up and see what I can see. Now when that is lined up will #1 be TDC ? how will I know if it is commpression or exhaust? Feel for the top of piston ?
Thanks

Jimmi_V My flywheel was really dirty so it took me a while to find the marks, that is why I painted the mark so it would be easy to see...

To get TDC have your valve cover off and spark plugs out, rotate engine clockwise watching the valve springs on # 1 cly... When the intake spring has been compressed and is on the its way back up carefully check # 1 piston to see if it on its way up towards TDC... After the intake spring has decompressed check # 1 cly piston to see if it is all the way up and your flywheel marks for TDC...

Align the triangular tips on the reluctor with the corresponding projections on the pickup coil by turning the distributor housing. They serve the same purpose as points.
Jerry

Hotrod, I don't have my HEI inhand yet...so...I can't see what you are talking about...I hope you were talking about the HEI..cause if not I'm more lost than I know.
Thanks for the info....PS...a reluctor ?,you make that up...:)

Nope. That's a real word.
Larryw

Jimmy V
What ignition system are you going with?

The reluctor is the 6-pointed star shaped part that turns with the HEI distributor shaft. It's surrounded by another part called the pickup coil that creates a magnetic pulse every time the pointy parts line up. This triggers the module to fire the coil, just like a set of points does on a conventional distributor. To static-time a HEI distributor, the pointer and ball gets aligned just like usual, but the pointed parts are adjusted to line up with each other instead of turning the distributor housing until the points just barely open.
Jerry

Hotrod,Thanks for explaining. I should be getting mine anyday now. I ordered it from langdons with a rounded coil and wires along with a 2 barrel Holley Carb with electric choke. Also, Wilson headers and dual exhaust...by the way do you know what a progressive carb is...I think the carb is one and I don't have a grasp on what that really means.
Thanks Again

Progressive-linkage 2-barrel carbs open one barrel ahead ot the other, like the primary and secondary venturis on a 4-barrel. One barrel will have the idle system incorporated into it, with the fuel mixture screw and the idle speeed adjustment while the other one is for high speed only. It usually opens very quickly as the linkage approaches full throttle. A lot of people who can't or won't make the original carb work on a stovebolt engine like to swap over to the Weber-type progressive 2-barrel carb.
Jerry

With all your new parts in hand, don't install more then one at a time. Get the engine running with the HEI, then move on to the carb. The exhaust doesn't matter when you add it. But once you add headers, be sure to add heat to the bottom of the intake, either water heat of exhaust heat.

Joe

I slightly disagree with the exhaust doesn't matter comment. You gave very sound advice on installing 1 piece at a time to know that if a problem developes, what caused it. However, with the exhaust using the same mounts as the intake, the potential is there to create a vacuumn leak while installing it. Personally, I would treat it the same as the one thing ata time strategy.

I can't follow the solid advice you folks have given...The motor has been stripped clean,repainted and I'm putting all together now... I'll have to put Humpty back together and see how it goes...I'm sure I will be back for more advise.
Thanks Again