455 need more power with $1,000 budget
- Thread starter Mr.Green
- Start date
What year and type car do you have?
First of all, if your tranny doesn't kick down, then you need to make sure your kick down switch is adusted correctly. You can check that with a test light. Switch is at the gas pedal, when pedal is down, switch should send 12 volts to the switch on the side of the trans. So start there.
Electronic distributor set up not required, but there is a lot of power to be gained in the timing set up. With vacuum disconnected from distributor, you should have timing at about 30 degrees total. Don't worry about initial timing. Here is a copy of power timing info on where to mark the 30.
To do this with a conventional timing light, you need to make a 30* mark on your balancer. The Buick 350, and 455 balancers are 6 3/4" in diameter. Circumference (360*) of a circle is pi(3.14) X diameter. 6.75 X 3.14 = 21.195"/12 = 1.76" (30*). Looking at the engine from the front, measure exactly 1 3/4" clockwise around the balancer, and make a second mark. This is your 30* mark. Connect up your timing light, and watch your 30* mark as you increase the RPM's. At some point, your 30* mark will stop rising, and move no higher. This is the RPM, where all of your mechanical advance is in.
So line up your 30 degree mark, with the zero on your timing cover and you are set. Then connect back your vacuum and hang on.
I just saved you a thousand, but we can spend that later and go faster.
First of all, if your tranny doesn't kick down, then you need to make sure your kick down switch is adusted correctly. You can check that with a test light. Switch is at the gas pedal, when pedal is down, switch should send 12 volts to the switch on the side of the trans. So start there.
Electronic distributor set up not required, but there is a lot of power to be gained in the timing set up. With vacuum disconnected from distributor, you should have timing at about 30 degrees total. Don't worry about initial timing. Here is a copy of power timing info on where to mark the 30.
To do this with a conventional timing light, you need to make a 30* mark on your balancer. The Buick 350, and 455 balancers are 6 3/4" in diameter. Circumference (360*) of a circle is pi(3.14) X diameter. 6.75 X 3.14 = 21.195"/12 = 1.76" (30*). Looking at the engine from the front, measure exactly 1 3/4" clockwise around the balancer, and make a second mark. This is your 30* mark. Connect up your timing light, and watch your 30* mark as you increase the RPM's. At some point, your 30* mark will stop rising, and move no higher. This is the RPM, where all of your mechanical advance is in.
So line up your 30 degree mark, with the zero on your timing cover and you are set. Then connect back your vacuum and hang on.
I just saved you a thousand, but we can spend that later and go faster.