Timing pointer for Farmall C

Trying to locate pointer on 1950 Farmall C

On the bottom of the bell housing there is a mark on the flywheel and you have to look thru the hole towards the bottom of the bell housing. Do you have a mag or a dist. If you have a mag there is no timing it fires atTDC then goes to 33 0r so degrees. The dist will have a curve in the timing as the speed foes up as the dist has an advance curve.

From the Archives:
Timing marks

The only timing marks you'll find are on the bottom of the flywheel and the half moon that covers the bottom section of the torque tube right below the rear of the motor. When those two marks are aligned, the motor is at top dead center on #1 and #4, and can be used to time either a magneto or a battery ignition.

At the front end of the torque tube/bell housing, on the underside will be a hole, sometimes round, usually a racetrack oval, that may or may not have a cover over it. Looking up and forward through that hole you are looking at the underside of the flywheel.

This next step works better if you have a hand crank to turn the motor with. Bring the motor as close as you can to TDC on the compression stroke of #1. To get there, pull your #1 spark plug. Stick your finger in the plug hole and have someone turn the motor until you feel your finger being forced out by the pressure underneath it. This will confirm that you are coming up on the compression stroke. Then slow down the cranking and watch through the hole for the piston to come up near the top of the cylinder. Pause before it is all the way to the top and find something to use as an indicator. By that I mean something like a thin screwdriver or a stiff piece of wire. Something that will fit in through the plug hole far enough to rest on top of the far side of the piston, and heavy enough on the piston side to rest there even as the piston moves, but long enough that it a) won't fall in and b) you can see the part that remains outside the motor well. Then slowly turn the motor. As the piston rises, this little lever that you are using will be lifted on the inside. Since it is resting on the bottom of the plug hole, the outside end will move downward. When it stops moving downward you are within a degree or two of TDC. A lot of folks stop right there and set their timing without worrying about the marks back at the fly wheel. If you should crank a little past and the outside of your indicator should start to rise, meaning you've turned past TDC and the piston is now falling on the combustion stroke, you can usually use the fan belt to turn the pulley back the other way to bring it back up top without having to turn the motor over completely twice to get back to the same spot.

Now you can go back to that hole under the torque tube. What you are looking for on the flywheel is a straight line cut/scored/stamped running the full depth of the flywheel, fore-and aft. It should be very near the bottom with the motor set up as you just did. Problem is that IH didn't put a whole lot of gumption into making this mark, it's not very deep, and it doesn't take much in the way of the kind of crud that gathers back in there (rust, dust, oil and chaff) to obscure it and make it the very devil to find. It can sometimes help to remove that half-moon cover just to get more light up in there to aid in finding it. You can scrape or scuff at it with something like a Scotch-brite through the hole or from the front (with the cover off) to try to find it. If you ever see one all cleaned up, it is also stamped T-C and 1-4 on either side of the mark. If you find it, I suggest you clean up at least the front end of it and mark it with some bright paint.

What that lines up with when you are at TDC is a mark on that half moon cover. Those came in two types through that era and you could have either. My '51 SuperC, it's a piece of stamped steel. Part of the stamping is a line that will be at exactly six o'clock when the cover is bolted back into place. That rib is what the mark on the flywheel lines up with. My '47 BN the cover is cast, and the mark is a fin-like rib on the inside of the casting in that same six o'clock position. Whichever you have, it couldn't hurt to dress up the mark on the cover with a little bright paint, too.

If you can find those marks and mark them, then all that's needed to time things up is to pull the #1 plug and stick your finger in it while the motor is turned to make sure you are on the compression stroke and turn until the two marks are aligned, and proceed with the instructions for timing whichever type ignition you have.

HTH

Found pointer through hole. Took a few times to set dist. in right spot. After 3rd. time try I got right. Doesn't even turn over a half turn before starts. Runs and starts great.

Good job!