327 Straight 8 Timing

Posted by Ramon R. On 2012/8/26 9:15:04

Good morning all, I have a 53 Patrician with a 327 Straight 8. I'm looking for some ignition timing help. I used my timing light to discover that I am about 20 degrees (retarded) at idle. The spec for the vehicle is 6 degrees BTDC with 13 degrees max on the vacuum advance. I tried to adjust the distributor by loosening the 2 bolts at the base of the distributor where it enters the block. With theese bolts loosened the distributor would only move the distance of the vacuum advance and spring back to the previous position. Is there another bolt or hold down that I'm missing? I'm doing all of this to try to figure out why I'm having hard starts when the engine is up to operating temp. When I say "hard" starts, I mean very slow cranking as if it had "high" compression resistance. When the engine is cold it turns over easily and starts quickly. Sorry for the long description but I'm at my wits end. ANY help or advice is greatly appreciated. Happy Packarding! Ramon