Have you guys seen www.tuningmadeeasy.com? It's a site that tells step by step how to tune your engine anytime you have non standard parts. It deals with ignition and carburetion primarily, and also has many tips on which parts to buy in the first place. I wish this site exsisted when I started out fiddling with cars...

 

i skimmed through that site, looks like a lot of good info. good find!

 

Man, I'm glad I don't have to mess with carbs. I'll take my laptop anyday.

 

I haven't tried it with a laptop, so far only a screwdriver . But the fundamentals about how much early timing and what air/fuel ratio an engine needs in what situations must be about the same. So most of the advice should be useful, only difference is that you can sit comfortably with your PC while I have to stand bent over a running engine...

 

There's one odd thing that I noticed was different...

My car (now that it's cam'd) and the older LS1 cars (pre-'01) have a timing curve that hits max timing @ WOT around 2400rpm. Then, timing drops some around peak torque before returning to max timing. I agree for the most part, timing has to do with 'time' before TDC like he mentioned. But, it also has to do with cylinder pressures too. So, my timing curve has a double hump whereas a car with a distributor starts at point A and goes to point B in a straight line. To me, it seems that wouldn't be optimal for lower rpms...



The left side of the graph is WOT as RPM increases (front to back).

 

You're right, not optimal, but mechanical advance distributors are very limited. And no knock sensor safety net.

I destroyed 2 Keith Black hypereutectics in the 1st 400 I built for my 71 while tuning the advance curve. Instant of ping b4 I could get off the throttle, BANG the damn things let go. Much more fragile than old sand cast factory slugs. Took out my cherry hard to find #509 block too.

Found out later that KB hypereutectic "performance pistons" are notorious for breaking at the ring lands, chunk gets stuck between piston top and head, then...