Re: Timing the A

Posted by carla on March 07, 1998 at 21:28:02

In Reply to: Timing the A
posted by Tim Wildey on March 06, 1998 at 21:36:03

: Today I installed new points and condenser on my modern upper distributor plate. I removed the timing pin and rolated it into the opening. While hand cranking the engine a friend held the pin in place. We never found the dimple to find TDC.Then I remembered the previous owner stating that he replaced the timing gear. I looked in Bratton's Parts catalog and noticed a note to enlarge the new gear dimple to 5/16".I am thinking about removing the timing gear cover to located the dimple.I have also heard of a way to find TDC by placing paper in all spark plug holes then crank the engine.The paper in Spark Plug #1 will pop-out in TDC and make sure it is the compression stroke ??
: Open to Any Ideas,
:Tim Wildey
to find tdc reliably, first remove the head (convince yourself that the engine wanted a good decoke anyway and a new head gasket), then fit a dial indicator to a magnetic base and position it to feel no. 1 piston at approximate top centre. then arrange an improvised pointer to overlay the front pulley (this could be a bit of suitably bent sheet metal held by one of the time cover capscrews, to replicate the timing pointer on newer engines) then turn the engine in its normal direction of rotation several times, adjusting the indicator until the highest point of piston travel reads zero on the dial. then when you are confident in the exact zero, bring the piston up to an arbitrary point, say .010 below the zero and carefully scribe a mark on the front pulley continue turning until the same point has been obtained going down away from tdc. scribe another mark. repeat the process to minimise the chance of error. the midpoint between those marks must be tdc. i realise this is a tedious and time-consuming task, but this is about the only to locate tdc with useful accuracy. then you could carefully deepen the timing recess in the time gear with a suitable drill, or, even better, a ball end-mill, which would match the contour of the timing pin.

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