Timing of a 318

[h069821]

I have a '75 318 in a 73 Challenger.
When my cam and crank timing marks are @ 12 o'clock on the crank and 6 o'clock on the cam, my rotor is at plug wire #6 on the cap at the on the compression stroke @ TDC. Is this correct or is the rotor suppose to be at #1 on the cap?
When my marks are 12 on the crank and 12 on the cam, the rotor is @ #1 wire on the cap on the compression stroke @ TDC. The reason I am inquiring is that the engine back fires a little at around 2500 rpm and the timing is out by 27 degrees. I have it pulled apart right now and want to get this issue resolved before I put the front end back together.

Thanks.

 

[burdar]

The factory marks on the balancer can be way off...I wouldn't go by those. Turn the engine over so that you get compression when #1 cylinder come up. That's the only way your going to know you're on TDC.

Have you had the oil pump drive out? If that hasn't been disturbed, then the distrubutor can only be "right" or "180 degess" off. If the oil pump drive has been removed, you may need to move it a tooth to get it back in the right spot.

 

[Cranky]

Are you messing with the camshaft too? The only right way to do all of that is to use a degree wheel. You set 'true' TDC with it and then set the cam...

 

[Chryco Psycho]

12 & 6 will fire #6 cylinder , rotate the crank one full turn & you get 12 & 12 & #1 firing . I agree the best way is to set it up with a degree wheel but you are obviously past that , a miss at 2700 could be a # of things , the timing could be off , you want about 16* at idle & 36-38 at 3000 rpm , if you put a mark on the damper 2 3/8 " clockwise from the tdc mark that is 36* if the damper is correct which as said before they are often not .
the way I do it is to run the engine up to 3000 rpm using fast idle screw & advance the timing until it quits rising in rpm , if you keep going it will go a few degrees without changing 7 then you will hear it start to pop through the exhaust , back the timing off to where it just starts to drop rpm & leave it right on the cusp where it quits rising & goes flat .I do this with the vacuum advance disconnected , I do not reconnect the advance after setting it this way