I learned this method from my old auto shop teacher. He taught us that unless you have a new engine, or a race engine with all new parts, vacuum timing is the best method to compensates for any/all the worn parts in an engine (timing gears/chain, cam & distributor gears, distributor endplay/advance plate etc). It always made sense to me.
Along these lines ,I have a 1948 Philco refrigerator in my basement that has run, without device since new , that's 72 years !
My old dial Snap On one died (wires inside, I still have to fix it) and I bought a new Innova digital with tach. Works great, plenty bright and I like the tach feature. But most of the time I buy old tools.
The Snap On volt-ohm-dwell-tach meter is about the same vintage as the timing light, it’s hard to believe they’re almost 40 years old.
That's the same way I tune my avatar. Haven't used a timing light for years. I tuned on the dyno once but when racing it didn't sound 'crisp' enough. Tuned it by ear in the pits and picked up a second in the 1/4.
After picking up a 1/4 second, wouldn't it be nice to put a timing light on it to see where the timing is, so you can get right back there?
I could've but I'm a big believer in what an old racer told me. "The secret to consistency is 'keep your hands in your pockets'." In other words, if it's running good, don't touch it.
That's great if you are consistently faster than every body else. Otherwise you better get your hands out of your pockets! (Sorry. I come from a trade where if they caught you with your hands in your pockets, you were looking for another job.)
early sears...still working good. Amazing to consider back in that time that sears stuff( for the most part) really had a handle on a lot of every day automotive stuff, and stood by it all. Oh yeah, by early I mean several decades ago.
My first timing light, acquired in the very early 60s, and used when I got it, was still working fine when I gave it away a few years ago. Just got tired of having to have a 6v lantern battery in the shop to use it. Yep, it was vehicle battery powered but only on a 6v vehicle! Now that is reliability1
Sears contracted with many suppliers to build to their price point , really had to do more with profit margin than function ! shake my head ..
Does Hambster racing run heads-up, instead of dial-your-own? I should know the answer to this, but every time I watch Hambsters I'm more fascinated by the cars than the end results. If it is heads-up, then Spanners doesn't need to be split-second consistent like the dial-your-own racers... just needs to go as hard as he can for every race. If I had paid a dyno, and then managed to pick up a whole second on the quarter by tune-by-ear, I'd be none too impressed with the dyno shop. Sounds all too much like one of the local dyno guys here. Cheers, Harv
Most of the HAMBster races are dial your own which some racers don't like but when you aren't on a big race budget it evens out the pack. I've done heads-up racing at Casino drags and won each time because my car is quick off the mark while the others are sitting spinning their wheels and making smoke. If I run 8.75 eighth mile off the trailer then that is what I try to maintain all day. The year before last I did 6 race meetings in a ten week period and didn't open the toolbox once except to lend tools to other racers and that makes it a good day's racing. The dyno runs were more to check that it would maintain steady oil pressure after an oil pump rebuild. We didn't do vacuum hook ups or anything like that, just ran it up to flat-chat and got maximum horsepower readings
Had a old Acton I used since the 80's finally die. Bought a replacement, not even sure what brand or where I got it, lasted a couple of years, only used it 3 or 4 times. Today's junk is made to sell, not last...
I was timing race car with a magneto , timing light shorted and I was getting shocked so bad I couldn't let go of timing light , finally dropped my arm down and light came out of my hand .
I've got the same timing light my dad gave me when I was a kid tuning up the sbf in our Mastercraft ski boat. All my cars are electronic now so I only need it for the old Chris Craft, but it still works great and I'm 44yo...
The Wife bought me a timing light on our first Christmas together. (Only time she ever bought me a tool) Big old chrome plated Craftsman job. It musta weighed 25 LBS!!! After 40 years .....it finally shit-the-bed. They just don't make stuff to last any more. I replaced it with a cheap-assed plastic one from Poop Boyz (cause I worked there part time after I retired) BASIC.....light just flashes when its suppose to......no set back bologna to 'wonder if'... with. I've dropped it several times on the concrete and its so lightweight it just bounces!! I love it.......simple 6sally6
The Jalopy Journal
