kevinkpk

The harmonic balancer will only go on one way. If the timing tab isn't correct for a small block, still wouldn't have that much effect. The vacuum thing is the issue I am still swarming in my head about. However that noise in your video sounds like a fan blade hitting the shroud. Is that harmonic balancer leftover from the Olds, or did it come with the chevy engine?

stevo1988

oh man! i WISH it was the fan! lol, i can hear it coming from the motor without a doubt
The timing cover was originally going to be used from the chevy 305 which had the timing tab in the center. I bought a brand new OEM replacement balancer for that design. Before I got to using that timing cover i had a buyer for the old motor so i left it on for him. I then ordered a new timing cover that was advertised to have the tab in the center but this one came in with the tab off to the driver side on an angle. before putting the heads on i made sure to make my own markings on the balancer to line up with the new tab. I used a piece of green gorilla tape that was the proper length of 36* on an 8" balancer. I also marked the 12* mark thinking i had 24* of advance. Upon doing so I have had an issue with knocking every since the motor was in the car. I have been driving it without vacuum advance and shifting early to avoid knocking. NOW as of today I have my timing set so close to 0* that it almost doesnt run very well and i am just able to drive with ALMOST no knocking at all. it actually isnt that bad even still without vacuum advance, the only problem is that it surges while accelerating at almost the same times as it USED to detonate

also, the old motor was a chevy and the new one is a chevy too
also, i have 2 center punches at 0 and at 36 aswell and so far the tape has not slipped

The block was rebuilt in november 2012. the machineshop assembled the whole lower end including timing chain/gears, cam and oil pump. it was a short block when it came back and i assembled the top end.

kevinkpk

When you put the heads on, you had @1 piston completley at the top? Then you aligned the timing tab to 0 at the balancer mark, there is a tool for this. Quick thought on the balancer, new or used? With what you are posting I'd question the balancer. If you can, snag one of a small block chevy at a junk yard. That dosen't fix it, it would eleminate alot of issues I can see. On a side note, GM made chevy, and olds, both are two DIFFERENT animals. That gold car in my avatar is a 1970 Delta 88 with a BBO 455.

stevo1988

Its a brand new balancer for chevy. its made by dorman and i got it at carquest. its the only part i have that is made in china.

I used a big Johnson bar to rotate the crank and a dial indicator with magnetic base on the deck of the block.
i have no question about the balancer or my timing marks. today i played with the timing even more, as i approached and passed 0* the engine reacted distinctly and immediately. you can hear and feel that fine line that separates advance from retard. the markings are exact. I think i need to go back to the distributor because for some reason my mechanical timing starts to advance immediately after 700 rpm idle. But what i worry about is that i have 2 of the heaviest springs inside and if i go with any combination with lighter springs im afraid the engine will just detonate more. How can i delay the beginning of the advance till 1300 rpm? Right now, @ 1200 rpm its displaying as 8 degrees more advanced than idle @ 700 rpm, i think thats a little too quick

One other thing i have noticed was that ever since i put in the 350 i can hear the exhaust fluttering at around 2000 rpm and above. It seems to be in perfect tune with the knocking sound that i hear also. Could exhaust possibly be making a knock-like sound? And would timing changes affect that? Right now with lower than usual initial timing instead of knocking like it used to, now the exhaust starts to flutter at the same rpm. it resonates the most at that particular rpm and as you increase rpm it still flutters but not as pronounced

kevinkpk

Set the vacuum timming with ported vacuum. Is this only a transition at 1300? If so you are still on initial/mechanical. I still think carb may be a little small. 1200 rpm with 8+12deg advance? Not really too high. I don't thing advance vrs. rpm is a linear curve (totally) in any case. I posted a link early on that may help explain some things. Go with the given, as in timing ect. Interesting your olds had a 305 (not uncommon) but the hei shouldn't be any different with any small block chevy.

stevo1988

Right now i am not using vaccum advance at all, with both manifold and ported vacuum it causes more knocking to occur and it causes to knock in 3rd gear where-as without it i dont get any knocking in 3rd even at the same rpm that it happens in 1st and 2nd. A friend of mine from work told me he thinks it has to do with my exhaust. Because my exhaust is a little too big (i bought the car with it) that sound pressure waves are travelling back into the motor and creating a knock-like sound. And that at higher rpm it will go away because back pressure increases thus not letting the sound wave to travel back. His theory makes some sense but I cant imagine that its not damaging my engine.
Yet what i do find very weird still is that by changing the initial timing i am able to control this problem. But by changing jets and rods i cant seem to fix it at all. I would go out and buy a new carb better suited to my needs if i have to, but i am afraid of doing that and not solving my issue. If i am under a lean condition at this rpm-range i can understand that knocking can occur, but if jet and rod changes dont affect the outcome what other differences with a bigger carb would make the problem go away?

Its a 1985 Cutlass Salon, it was built here in Canada, it had a chevy 305 with a Metric TH200 transmission. Both have been replaced with a 350 with a TH350 trans.

kevinkpk

I am an olds man myself. What size exhaust pipes are they?

stevo1988

headers are 1-5/8" primaries to a 3" collector to 3" x-pipe to 3" thrush mufflers with 2.5" tail pipes. Soon to change!!
it was a very unique sound with a stock 305, but with the new motor its just loud and drones and pops and cackles

i actually would love an olds motor in this thing, i just hadnt had the time or budget to make all the conversions to put one in

stevo1988

I couldnt get onto this site for weeks for no reason, it turns out that the problem is nothing ignition or even engine related one bit! i spent so much time and money fixing and replacing so much of my ignition and getting my crank and rod bearings checked out. It turns out that my flexplate was cracked. Flexplate damage sounds alot like serious rod knock! i am quite happy now cuz my engine runs like a bad *********a now!

Soon i plan to upgrade to a new torque converter while everything is still accessible, thinking about going to a 2200-2500 hughes GM20, with comp hi energy flat tappet 268 cam, 1.6 ratio aluminium roller rockers and 2.02/1.60 valves would i be in the right stall? I made consideration for the rest of my valvetrain aside from just cam specs alone to choose my torque converter

VerduGMC

do you know any old tricks on how to to get more swing out of a distributor. my problems is, is that when i go to advance the timing the vacuum assist cone hits my intake not allowing me to advance anymore