Commenting on breaking shocks wheels up:
Viking recommends limit straps be used instead of using the shock as the limit.

Being a Mustang,I’ll tell you what I’ve done in the past.
Level the rocker with the door open.
Most Ford intakes with an angled carb pad are 4-5deg angled down in front,so if you level the rocker then level the carb pad you end up with 4-5deg transmission down.

Has worked great so far for me.
It also worked with my 64 Comet.

Update problem solved!

It was the coil!
I’ve never seen a coil act like this. After thinking about it I guess it does. INDICATED timing on the damper showed it needed 30-40 to idle, running the rpm up would show the timing increase then engine would buck like it was pushing against too much timing ,but the coil couldn’t keep up.

Sadly here’s what we did to get there

Zeroed damper
Pulled front cover to check timing set ,all good .
Lashed valves ,solid lifter cam.
Swapped cap,rotor,wires with known good
Replaced plugs
Swapped in no less than 3 distributors all with Pertronics
Gave up for the night.
Next day engine will not start at all!
Smoked a Pertronics
Swapped in a coil….
Fired right up normal timing indications
Took it for several test drives
Adjust vacuum advance can.

All in all a hell of a way to tune up a 72 R code Mach 1.

Drove it some more

 I will start out by saying this makes no sense….
My friend got his R code 72 Mach one back after 17 years the guy he sold it to put less than 500 miles on it in 17 years!
The previous owner spent a boat load of money to get it running…sort of.

While trouble shooting some odd engine running behavior the timing was checked it’s off scale at about 40deg advance! First thought is damper is slipped. We piston stopped it. At TDC it’s 2 deg advanced 20deg/24deg=2deg.
Anyway….
If you set the damper to 20 and drop the distributor in it will not run. It’s not 180 out.
Pull dist out and rotate rotor one tooth and drop it in it will run,but no way to know what the timing is.
Being gone for 15 years ,IF the timing chain for some reason came off and was reinstalled a tooth off would the engine run and if it did would the timing act like this?
I don’t think it’s a worn chain or slack because if you back the crank up there seems to be only about 5 deg of movement before the rotor moves.
My friend built this engine 20 years ago,it (should) still have the double roller chain he installed dot to dot he has nothing showing the timing cover having been removed. He has a stack of receipts from the previous owner listing every thing done to get the car running.

Any ideas?

Although ballooning could of course come from freezing, I have seen the wrong fitting blow a heater core, and now if I install an aftermarket or brass fitting I modify it with a standpipe.

Ford felt they were needed and I believe it's either the creation of steam pockets that can't purge until the heat is run, or the flow amount when the thermostat is closed (which seems less likely)

I have never put a gauge on one, but I do agree your numbers sound high.  If you are running an aftermarket fitting, for giggles,  just epoxy a stand pipe with the proper OD right into the fitting and have it almost touch the floor, it won't help the total pressure but can keep it in water, not air, during filling and opening of the stat and cant hurt.  Additionally, you can drill a 1/16 hole in the thermostat to allow it to purge any air at start and reduce that pressure a bit.  I have gone up to 1/8 without any negative thermostat operation, and I have seen much more, but huge holes aren't needed in my experience

I thought I was the only one who does this. I use 1/8” pipe nipples cut to length about 1/2” off the intake floor. I just thread the heater hose fitting 3 or 4 full threads.

Jay, you might find a "vintage" read that to mean manual, pantograph engraver online somewhere.
They take up about the same space as a modern multi purpose computer printer and you can either make, or purchase...or hopefully the used machine comes with them, the plates used for the engraving process.

Make a jig for the rocker, insert the proper plates and engrave the numbers in the rocker.

I know this is an extra step....okay, 16 extra steps, but it would look good and leave no doubt about the ratio

LOL ,I have one .Very good condition. A friends father used to make custom license plate frames with it at swap meets.

my neighbor pulled a 428 out of my comet a few years ago.i had the intake bolts out and he did not notice it.never fear i had the right stuff on it and it came out trans and all without pulling loose.i had to use razor knifes everywhere i could reach.then i used my engine puller to put pressure on it while i trimmed.i got it off.

Wow!
That would have been quite the time bomb crossing the radiator support!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Ford FE friends!

Turkey coma setting in,now it’s pie time!