My Maverick had it's first dyno today. I was pretty pleased, and i definitely identified some problem areas. I made 280 rwhp (corrected) and 294 torque. When i put the car up on the dyno i was making 250...so i picked up ~30! I made 7 hp off a jet change, and 21 off of timing! That brings me to my second question: My car right now has 41 deg. total advance, which is wayyyyy too much for what my car likes. Putting the total down to 35 made 21 more hp, but puts my initial down to the point where it doesn't like to run. The advance slots in my distributor are labled 16 and 21. One of the guys at the dyno said that some distributors come with 10 and 13 slots. Anyone know what car these would have come in? I love the extra power, but having a car that idles is a necessity too
Yes, you're right about some having less timing in the factory dizzy's. I have seen trucks in the mid-70's that had the 10/13 plate on them...others have had the more traditional 14 or 16. You'll just have to look around and find one, either that or install a bushing on the one you have to limit how far the shaft turns. I actually bent the stop on mine, and it worked just as well. Good luck.
Pretty Good Numbers Can you tell me what engine and specs you have? What have you done to the engine? I'd really like to know. Thanks, Preston Country Mav:bananaman
Mavman, sounds good! i'll have to hit up the junkyards one of these days. Where can i get a bushing? Or do i just make one? I wish i had a welder...i'd just weld on a couple of extra buttons. Country, My motor is a 302, rebuilt +.040, flat tops, otherwise stock bottom end. Cam is a comp cams xtreme 230/236 @ .050 with .519/.523 lift. TFS track heat heads, RPM air gap intake, 750cfm dbl. pumper, headers, x-pipe...the works. It's "peppy" Can't wait to get it to a lower elevation (makes 230hp here) and feel those extra 50 horsies!
Remember that more hp doesnt always translate into faster ET s . If you are going to race this car you may get better ET because higher total timing may make your car run faster 60 foot times . 60 foot times make more of an impact on your ET then total horsepower . Dont let the dyno numbers blind you to what may be happening in real world conditions .
But i like horsepower It actually made quite a difference across the powerband to reduce the timing...it also made the engine more efficient (according to the dyno guy) based on the a/f ratios. I went down to the junkyards today and got lucky...my first try was a 10/15. The 10 puts it about perfect...12 deg. initial equals ~35 total. Now i can just play with it from here. It does make a seat of the pants difference with the timing re-set, and to be honest my 60ft times have always sucked (usually in the 2.4 region due to traction).
I just mean dont let your dyno results blind you at the race track and refuse to try something different just because of your dyno results . I've done it and seen lots of other racers make the same mistake .
Oh, i was just kidding around lightning. You actually make a good point. I think next time i go to the dragstrip i will play around with the timing some more. It obviously can "make or break" an engine combo, as witnessed by my 21 hp. I wish my car (and driver) were more consistant...hard to tell what made a difference when you have lousy launches and no traction I'll work on it though.
New weight and spring kits to custom taylor your advance is only $10 at Advance Auto. If you running stock type heads, I would not let the timing go above 38* total. This is a long standing rule with Ford motors. Most of the time the advance is set up to be nearly all in by about 2800 rpm depending in the indivdual set up. It takes a lot of trial and change using a timing lite and tach to see what the timing is doing but you will feel when it gets near correct. Then it's a matter of making changes at the strip and checking number. With limited bite off the line I would be looking at the top end speed first then get the traction under more control. Been there before. This is part of the fun of accomplishment.
