engine overcooling

[machoneman]

ok, ran new thermostat today. little bit better but not what it should be. i think im gonna back the vacuum advance out  12+18+34 at idle down to 9+18+34 total i did find i am somewhat close on timing though  i needed gas asap had 10 bucks so put 87 octane in instead of 91 from 25mph roll 2nd gear acceleration  gave me preignition 3! rocks in a can! outsandingi never thought this engine could do that ! been running 22 years  and never could get it to ping on 89-93 octane sunoco at least i know my timing curve is close to optimum!!!

Keep in mind that the vac. advance only kicks in on closed or closing throttle...and never has, unless the dashpot's lever is sticky, caused detonation. Easy to check: take the pot off and work the lever by hand. Be sure to the point plate (point equipped or not) moves smoothly by hand w/the dashpot off.

I'd burn off the low octane gas b/4 doing any timing changes. Then, with your normal higher octane fuel, I'd drop your 12 initial down to 10 and see what happens.

[comet2]

thanks again guys! i sure wont put 87 in anymore but it was an emergency! what was weird was air fuel at idle went up from 13.5 13.7 to 14.5 or more. i kinda wrote my timing stupid my initial timing is 18 with 34total vacuum gives another 12 at idle gets vacuum to 15-16hg carb is a 3310 cheapie no dash pot like the 600 oem carb but what you were saying about it sticking: i was thinkin about were the vacuum pod letting off and mech timing going up may have crossed early or high and caused pinging ? maybe? but im not gonna do  that again i was showin my brother how his 351c 4v is inferior at layin rubber from 10 mph than my boat anchor \ dumptruck motor. my real concern was the engine gettin cold on the open road. imean its acually running like 3mins after  starting it  no temp gauge needed   it is cold and spittin the rad is luke warm drive at 30 or 40 for a while it warms back up never had any problem on 80 or 90 degree days  just on 60 to 70 degree days when you want to take a cruise ! could it be timing 46 all in  or do aluminum heads lose that much heat?

[machoneman]

thanks again guys! i sure wont put 87 in anymore but it was an emergency! what was weird was air fuel at idle went up from 13.5 13.7 to 14.5 or more. i kinda wrote my timing stupid my initial timing is 18 with 34total.

-34 is about right. Playing in up or down 2 degrees (32/36) for a test on your better gas may be wise.

vacuum gives another 12 at idle gets vacuum to 15-16hg carb is a 3310 cheapie no dash pot like the 600 oem carb.

-where is your vacuum line, at the carb, to the distributor's  dashpot, hooked up? It should be plugged into a steel nipple on the side of the primary metering block. That site gives zero vacuum at idle and only activates the dashpot on deceleration and steady cruise speeds. If the line is hooked to a all-the-time vacuum source then yes, the vacuum advance is working at idle.....meaning you may have way too much total advance at idle.   

http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/rodbrady/media/cGF0aDoxOTY5IE11c3RhbmcgQ291cGUvMDU4NkRDQTEtMDMwMy00MkI1LTlGQkEtRTdGREQzQTU4RkEwX3pwc2IwdXBhMnFzLmpwZw==/?ref=

but what you were saying about it sticking:

-the dashpot's lever (going inside the distributor) and hooked on a point plate stud, actually moves the point plate (points or electronic module) to supply vacuum advance or not. That plates must move smoothly back and forth for the vacuum advance to work correctly. You can take off the dashpot and move the plate by hand to ensure it's working correctly.

https://www.hometownbuick.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1955-buick-vacuum-advance-mechanism.jpg

i was thinkin about were the vacuum pod letting off and mech timing going up may have crossed early or high and caused pinging ? maybe?

-yes, that is entirely possible.

could it be timing 46 all in  or do aluminum heads lose that much heat?

No, aluminum heads do not lose much heat. I think you need to get your timing right 1st and then revisit the cold running situation. After a run and shutdown, are the heads hot to the touch? The radiator's fins on both sides s/b hot as well 

[comet2]

hi bob, i have  a duraspark distributor that is hooked up on manifold vacuum i cut a piece off another advance pod  and attached  with 4-48 flat head cap screws to adjust the amount of advance. the early style pod in your picture wouldnt fit but is a better piece from a tuning standpoint. i set the timing to 16-32 adjusted rod to give additional 6 degrees at idle and 38 all in . if this shows some improvement maybe slow the timing curve down some? i remember joe craine mention something about slowing the advance curve to help an engine rev smoothly. my car at 60mph is around 28-3000 timing is all in at 3000 maybe go to 3200,3400. the only time the engine gets cold is  when the outside temp is below 70 degrees and dont have to stop for 10 miles at 60mph or so. heads are pretty warm rad is luke warm it is running like when it s almost ready to back out of garage! when driving in town it stays in  normal operating range no problem! anyway bob thank you very much for trying to help !

[gdaddy01]

what size pulley do you have on your water pump ?  might be turning wrong rpm for the rpm of your engine at 2800 . turning fan faster if you have mechanical fan , pumping water to fast ?

[comet2]

Good idea,tomorrow I will  take a set of calipers to the garage and measure  thank you sir!                                                                           ok  i got a 6.770 dia crank pulley and a 6.640 wp pulley idid see a post from a while back about pulleys  gonna investigate that!