Need Your Advice (Specs)

Here I go again; I need your help! :>)

Since this is Thanksgiving, I'm sure this business will maybe allow me a couple of hours to myself.

So, sometime today I want to check the tuning of my '51 H; because just running the loader hydraulics alone makes 'er grunt. I'm sure it has got to be out of time.

The specs page on this site says the timing should be at the first notch....okay, that sounds good.

But, the point gap setting is what is bothering me. The specs say for a Super H they are at .020" and a regular H should be set at .013".

Shouldn't that say for a distributor it should be set at .020" and a magneto equipped tractor, the setting is .013" ?

.013" seems awfully thin to me while adjusting a distributor equipped H.

Where do you guys set 'em on a distributor?

Thanks for your help,

Allan

Got 'er handled yesterday and boy! What a difference!

Thanks,

Allan

Use the .020 for a distributor; .013 is for a mag.

I've given up on the hassle of setting timing on my 6V + gnd H with my 12V - gnd timing light and spare battery kit -- so anymore I just do it by ear. Turn the distributor for the fastest idle, then back it off a tad. Take it out and run it, checking for pings or abnormal heating, and back off as needed.

Actually, until you get that 50+ year old distributor fixed up with new bushings, gears, shims, etc. it's going to have enough slop to defeat your best efforts with a timing light. If you do have a bullet proof distributor, take the pulley and degree it off in 5's with a Mr. Gasket cam timing wheel -- then you can see if it likes 25, 30, 32.5, 28.5, etc. degrees of total advance the best. While you're at it, get an old M&W PTO dyno and measure it down to that last ft/lb and last crank degree and make an art form out of it - you've got today, Friday and the weekend to have fun.