Recommended timing for 454??
 

Hey guys,
I have a fairly fresh 454 with an agressive hydraulic cam and I am looking for recommendations for timing setting on the motor. Compression is around 9.5 and will be running 91 octane. The car was restored in 89 and had about 250 break-in miles before it was stored and never really had a good performance tune. I now have the car so I need a good starting point. Thanks for the help.

What distributor? Different distributors have different amounts of advance in them. Some are tunable, like MSD for example and other aftermarket distributors. You want 34 to 36 and want to be all in at 3000 RPM. I would reverse time it, set it at 36 at 3000RPM. While watching the mark, blip it from 3000RPMs to 4000RPM or so to make sure the timing is all in, and then let it idle and see where you are.

Most distributors will have about 20 degrees advance in the, so your base timing will probably end up somewhere in the 14 to 16 range?

I agree with Frank, the distributor is important. However you can total time it to 34-36 and let the cards fall where they will. If you have a large cam you want as much initial as you can get. That can be achieved with a vaccum advance or changing out bushings in the distributor.

Sorry, forgot to mention. This is an original distributor from 69, nothing aftermarket here.

I agree with the other responses. Total timing of about 34 to 36 is common standard for the 454. The ZZ454 dyno test that SuperChevy did a few months ago stated they had their timing at 34. I have a ZZ454 and I run at 36.

Thanks for the input guys.

What heads are you running?

Iron 69 350hp 396 heads and intake. Oval port 101cc.