Ok, SO I borrowed a buddies timing light, and I went to tune my car, and I can't figure out how to adjust the timing on it. Any pointers? I looks like a standard Points and Condensers Distributor, but the cap looks like it is designed to not turn any. its locked into little tabs.

 

The cap doesn't turn, the whole distributor does. There should be a lockdown fork shaped piece where the distributor enters the manifold.

 

yup


warm up the engine, disconnect and plug the vacuum line to the dist., loosen the dist. hold downm(not much, you want the dist to move, but stay where you move it to)put the timing light pickup on the #1 plug wire, point the light at the timing pointer, and move the dist as required

 

#1 is the front drivers side on a pontiac block, right?

 

be sure to check you point dwell angle before you set the timing...if the dwell is off and you adjust it, it will have an effect on your timing. Get the recommended timing info. Find the pointer/tab on the front cover, then find the line on the balancer. mark them with chalk or a white or yellow crayon.. start engine and let it warm up, disconnect and plug vacum line going to the distributer vacum advance, adjust the dwell, adjust the carb idle, adjust the carb mixture, re-adjust idle, check/adjust timing, recheck dwell, idle and mixture. to some extent each effects the other....