I always run my can on the Passenger side. It gives you a handle to hold for timing adjustment. The vacuum ports are on passenger side of motor. That puts the electrical connector on the driver side. Exactly where the wires to the distributor happen to be. If I install it Pontiac way I have to cross over both electrical and vacuum lines to opposite side of motor. Looks more sloppy that way. I put my #1 where it’s suppose to be at the back of the distributor. It’s the only way your factory spark plug wire lengths work out correctly. You have to stab the distributor with the vacuum can at about 10 o’clock to give you room for advance before hitting the heater hose nipple.
68 Firebird 350. Yep! This had me stumped! I noticed when checking TDC the rotor was spinning counterclockwise - WHAT- Reality is stranger than fiction. Thanks for do the research proving Im not crazy
Hello my Pontiac brother the answer is yes you can put it RH /LH I have done it so many times on my first generation Firebirds good luck with the Lemans
I know nothing. But that’s what I have heard. It does not matter how the dizzy is clocked, as long as the rotor is pointed at #1 post when #1 cylinder is at TDC. I have a pont 400 and mine is off a tooth or two, as they say. My VA is pointing at the battery. And it starts and runs. But also running points.
30 years ago I bought a brand new Mallory distributor stem and installed it with the vacuum advance on the right side. The engine ran fine the whole time but I was just frustrated at the amount of room I didn't have for adjustment having the vacuum advance on that side. I just discovered your video back in them days TH-cam didn't exist. And before I looked at your video, I was thinking as long as the rotor is pointing at the same position on the cap, what's the difference? Anyway, thanks for the video. You're a big help
Cool! And yeah just recently I put it in the opposite way you’re supposed to. Just wanted the extra room to adjust timing. And it’s not hitting anything so we’ll see how it goes! Thanks for watching!
You can put that distributor in any way you want. Just have to be on TDC on #1, compression stroke and have your rotor pointing at or just a little past the rotor cap post. Get a cheap bore camera, pull a valve cover and confirm you are on TDC on #1 compression stroke. Alternatively, put your thumb on the #1 spark plug hole and rotate the motor till you thumb is pushed off by air pressure and see where your balancer and timing marks line up. See where you think you will have some space for advancing/retarding the timing and play with getting the distributor gear to mesh with the cam gear. If you think you are off a tooth, try moving it over a tooth both forward and backward. Good luck man.
Way to research and prove you were doing it right. I too installed 74 Grand Prix HEI in my 68 GTO and my vacuum also rides the backside off left head when timed at correct specs. My 65 Vette rides coil and also has very little movement room between stock Edelbrock and coil. Good luck on your Lemans project and keep posting videos on updates.
Yea you can put the dist in the other way you can even put number 1 plug wire on another tower if need be. Just make sure piston is on compression stroke and the outer ring on the balancer hasn't spun so the timing mark is on zero and number 1 piston is at the very, very top. I ran into that problem on a dodge and it really drilled my eyes out.
I have a Pontiac Tempest wagon, 1966. It has a Pontiac 400 cubic inch engine. The distributor is an HEI and it is installed with the vacuum connection facing the passenger side. I'm getting very very strange readings with the timing light. It sounds like it could be the distributor needs to be turned around as you described. That said, it does run. It is very hot and the fuel mileage is in the 4-6 mpg range. Plus, when total timing is checked I get a reading of about 48°BTDC.
It could be a number of things. Also remember that Pontiacs wires go into the distributor cap in counter-clockwise direction. But it sounds like you might be off by a few plugs. If it was completely 180 out, it probably wouldn’t run
Late to the party .the vacuum advance can put anywhere along as you have rotor pointing to your number 1 on compression stroke and follow rotation of fireing order counter clock wise
My 76 Trans Am someone placed it like a Chevy! My vacuum advance was hitting the heater hose coming out of the back of the passenger side head. Can't really adjust timing very well with heater hose in the way..
Just put my engine back in and ended up going with it on the Chevy (passenger) side. I do have more room to adjust timing and luckily my head heater hose isn't in the way. But the driver side is the way the Pontiac engineers intended!
If you are still running points then you need to base the cap position on the window location. If you are building a performance gto motor then it doesn't matter as you shouldn't use the vacuum advance anyway, you should plug it off and recurve your mechanical to 33 degrees total at 2400-2800 rpm depending on the traction of your tires. Wheel spin is a waste of time. If you over power your tires you've wasted your time and effort. If you have a 389, 400, or 455 with original over 10:1 compression you want your initial timing to be 9 or under to save your battery. These motors eat batteries in hot climates so the lower the initial the better. If you are running a four speed switch to the starter for an automatic when your starter quits.
I have a 1967 Lemans and have had it for more than 30 years and before that my Dad had it. the vacuum advance was always pointing to the passenger side. BUT it will run either way. the car does not know it is in backwards.
You must be a tooth off if you don't have enough room to time it properly just jump it back one tooth i never had any issues w getting mine timed right and I was the take out the points distributor and put in a hei for everyone guy in town back in the day at least w all my buddies who were driving old junk in the 80s 82 was when I got my license so what we could afford was at least 10 yr old cars my first car I registered and drove to high school was a 67 cutlass I paid 200 bucks for w the 330 cu in motor and a power glide oh and a quadrajet loved them carbs that moan could be heard for miles and miles lol but try that it should help you out w your issue
I've pretty close to TDC right now (I was 180 out in Ep4 of Will it Start and got it right in Ep5.) But what I think happened is that my distributor gear was never in the right spot since I've had it. The car was running lean when I was driving in back in the 90s (from the plugs I pulled when I started the revival.) In the last vid, I did turn the oil pump shaft over a bit, to give me more room to adjust. I just never got to test it because of the melted wiring. But it got me thinking - because there seems to be more room on the passenger side for the adv vacuum - can I keep it at TDC where it is, but spin the distributor itself around? I believe I can and might try to test it out (once the wiring is done :)
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I always run my can on the Passenger side. It gives you a handle to hold for timing adjustment. The vacuum ports are on passenger side of motor. That puts the electrical connector on the driver side. Exactly where the wires to the distributor happen to be. If I install it Pontiac way I have to cross over both electrical and vacuum lines to opposite side of motor. Looks more sloppy that way. I put my #1 where it’s suppose to be at the back of the distributor. It’s the only way your factory spark plug wire lengths work out correctly. You have to stab the distributor with the vacuum can at about 10 o’clock to give you room for advance before hitting the heater hose nipple.
68 Firebird 350. Yep! This had me stumped! I noticed when checking TDC the rotor was spinning counterclockwise - WHAT- Reality is stranger than fiction. Thanks for do the research proving Im not crazy
Hello my Pontiac brother the answer is yes you can put it RH /LH I have done it so many times on my first generation Firebirds good luck with the Lemans
Thanks! I thought you could. I might have to try it.
I know nothing. But that’s what I have heard. It does not matter how the dizzy is clocked, as long as the rotor is pointed at #1 post when #1 cylinder is at TDC. I have a pont 400 and mine is off a tooth or two, as they say. My VA is pointing at the battery. And it starts and runs. But also running points.
30 years ago I bought a brand new Mallory distributor stem and installed it with the vacuum advance on the right side. The engine ran fine the whole time but I was just frustrated at the amount of room I didn't have for adjustment having the vacuum advance on that side. I just discovered your video back in them days TH-cam didn't exist. And before I looked at your video, I was thinking as long as the rotor is pointing at the same position on the cap, what's the difference? Anyway, thanks for the video. You're a big help
Cool! And yeah just recently I put it in the opposite way you’re supposed to. Just wanted the extra room to adjust timing. And it’s not hitting anything so we’ll see how it goes! Thanks for watching!
You can put that distributor in any way you want. Just have to be on TDC on #1, compression stroke and have your rotor pointing at or just a little past the rotor cap post. Get a cheap bore camera, pull a valve cover and confirm you are on TDC on #1 compression stroke. Alternatively, put your thumb on the #1 spark plug hole and rotate the motor till you thumb is pushed off by air pressure and see where your balancer and timing marks line up. See where you think you will have some space for advancing/retarding the timing and play with getting the distributor gear to mesh with the cam gear. If you think you are off a tooth, try moving it over a tooth both forward and backward. Good luck man.
Way to research and prove you were doing it right. I too installed 74 Grand Prix HEI in my 68 GTO and my vacuum also rides the backside off left head when timed at correct specs. My 65 Vette rides coil and also has very little movement room between stock Edelbrock and coil. Good luck on your Lemans project and keep posting videos on updates.
Yea you can put the dist in the other way you can even put number 1 plug wire on another tower if need be. Just make sure piston is on compression stroke and the outer ring on the balancer hasn't spun so the timing mark is on zero and number 1 piston is at the very, very top. I ran into that problem on a dodge and it really drilled my eyes out.
I have a Pontiac Tempest wagon, 1966. It has a Pontiac 400 cubic inch engine. The distributor is an HEI and it is installed with the vacuum connection facing the passenger side. I'm getting very very strange readings with the timing light. It sounds like it could be the distributor needs to be turned around as you described. That said, it does run. It is very hot and the fuel mileage is in the 4-6 mpg range. Plus, when total timing is checked I get a reading of about 48°BTDC.
It could be a number of things. Also remember that Pontiacs wires go into the distributor cap in counter-clockwise direction. But it sounds like you might be off by a few plugs. If it was completely 180 out, it probably wouldn’t run
Late to the party .the vacuum advance can put anywhere along as you have rotor pointing to your number 1 on compression stroke and follow rotation of fireing order counter clock wise
My 76 Trans Am someone placed it like a Chevy! My vacuum advance was hitting the heater hose coming out of the back of the passenger side head. Can't really adjust timing very well with heater hose in the way..
Just put my engine back in and ended up going with it on the Chevy (passenger) side. I do have more room to adjust timing and luckily my head heater hose isn't in the way. But the driver side is the way the Pontiac engineers intended!
I messed with it for hours until saw pics and thought What? Lol.
If you are still running points then you need to base the cap position on the window location. If you are building a performance gto motor then it doesn't matter as you shouldn't use the vacuum advance anyway, you should plug it off and recurve your mechanical to 33 degrees total at 2400-2800 rpm depending on the traction of your tires. Wheel spin is a waste of time. If you over power your tires you've wasted your time and effort. If you have a 389, 400, or 455 with original over 10:1 compression you want your initial timing to be 9 or under to save your battery. These motors eat batteries in hot climates so the lower the initial the better. If you are running a four speed switch to the starter for an automatic when your starter quits.
I have a 1967 Lemans and have had it for more than 30 years and before that my Dad had it. the vacuum advance was always pointing to the passenger side. BUT it will run either way. the car does not know it is in backwards.
It boils down to this Pontiac points distributor out, here's the key word HEI distributor Pontiac back in simplest folks.
I've got a 66 lemans with a 400 it's on the passenger side. I've run them both ways. Dealers choice
I wonder if the difference lies in points vs hei. I have always run the can on the passenger side with # 1 on the drivers side. In my 78, 455.
You must be a tooth off if you don't have enough room to time it properly just jump it back one tooth i never had any issues w getting mine timed right and I was the take out the points distributor and put in a hei for everyone guy in town back in the day at least w all my buddies who were driving old junk in the 80s 82 was when I got my license so what we could afford was at least 10 yr old cars my first car I registered and drove to high school was a 67 cutlass I paid 200 bucks for w the 330 cu in motor and a power glide oh and a quadrajet loved them carbs that moan could be heard for miles and miles lol but try that it should help you out w your issue
What matters is TDC on 1! Do a LIVE and lets us help.
I've pretty close to TDC right now (I was 180 out in Ep4 of Will it Start and got it right in Ep5.) But what I think happened is that my distributor gear was never in the right spot since I've had it. The car was running lean when I was driving in back in the 90s (from the plugs I pulled when I started the revival.) In the last vid, I did turn the oil pump shaft over a bit, to give me more room to adjust. I just never got to test it because of the melted wiring. But it got me thinking - because there seems to be more room on the passenger side for the adv vacuum - can I keep it at TDC where it is, but spin the distributor itself around? I believe I can and might try to test it out (once the wiring is done :)
Put the smoke back into that wiring
Put the factory back in n adjust the point6