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Who knows Chrysler small blocks well ?

pearljam724

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According to block cast number. I verified on the net that I have a 1972 small block 360 in my car. Long story short, my timing isn’t quite right. The car runs and idles good. But, only I’m only getting 12.5 mpg and regardless of what I try adjusting carb, timing and idle wise. The engine shakes a tad at idle and I can’t get it to smooth completely out. Where it did idle smoothly when I bought not long ago.
But, I updated some stuff and had to retime it. I never checked timing prior to replacing some parts. Which then, I was required too.
Here’s the issue. I saw online somewhere depending what year small block you have the timing marker could be on driver or passenger side. But, most are on driver.
Well, because I could easily see the timing marker on passenger side and never seeing one on driver side. Of course, I went with it. Well today, I removed a brand god damn new steering pump that was leaking, lol ! And I see these timing marks on the driver side once the pump was removed ? What the hell is going on and what side is correct for a 72 - 360 ?
The first picture with bare metal timing tape is passenger which is the one I’ve been using and the second picture is driver that I just now found for the first time.

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I found the answer to part of my question. The bare metal one on passenger side I was using was infact wrong after I Brought cylinder one up to top dead center. I’m lucky, I found it. Using the other marker was severely advanced.
No wonder it ran better, severely retard according to the passenger side tape, lol ! I’m lucky I didn’t hole a piston.
 
You can use the other timer pointer if the drivers one cannot be seen when power steer etc is bolted up.
Put the engine on TDC using the correct timing mark. Check you are in the right spot.
Paint an orange line on the pulley where it lines up with the zero mark on the other tab.
You can time an engine anywhere so long as you mark at true TDC.
 
Ok thank you. But, if you bounce from one side to the other don’t you have to reposition the plug wires where they attach to the distributor depending on where the rotor points for cylinder one when it’s at top dead center ?
 
No do not re position anything as in your post you indicated the engine runs well.
You are just going to move the timing mark nothing else. The engine does not care where the mark is on the 360 degrees just that it is the right place and on number 1 cylinder.
 
Thank you. Finally, I did this several times. She’s dialed in right now. I did in fact have to slide the plug wires over one hole when I switched over to the driver side. Might have been a prior mistake. Which I checked a few times prior. She’s purring like a kitten now at idle with zero shake.
I can’t explain it. But, I used that bare metal pointer on the passenger side several times and could never get it to idle like I wanted. First time on the other side it’s golden.
 
Glad to hear you are all good now.
The timing can be quite a bit out on an engine with lower compression ratios and mild cams and they do not play up like a hotter motor would.
Now you have the timing right it will be a lot better when you test drive it.
 
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