Lovely!!! I joined this forum quite a while back but didnt keep my car long. I made a new username as Tracker64. Didnt realize that my browser somehow grabbed the old one. So I posted as Tonypa and also Tracker64. I hate getting older with technology. Ugh!!!
Wait, I'm terribly confused. So you have two accounts here? TonyPA and Tracker64?
The tuneup decal says 0.035" spark plug gap for L6, and 0.045" for V8 small block. Not sure why there is a difference as the HEI is the same save for the shaft length and number of terminals on the cap. And old power and fuel economy trick is to increase plug gap to make a longer spark for igniting the fuel/air mixture. 0.045" is supposed to be the largest gap the stock HEI can handle, so that's what I set mine at. Also bought several different plugs so that I could try them on each cylinder and see which ones face the exhaust valve when seated. I put a line on the porcelain in the direction of the gap so i could see where it indexed at. Plugs #1 and #2 have the intake valves between them, same with #3/4 and #5/6.
My factory specs say 6* @ 800rpm for my 3spd manual, but I advanced it to 10*. I may check it again to see if I can advance it a little more for optimum, after I'm done changing fluids. Plugging my vacuum advance with my vacuum gauge and seeing, and with my timing light seeing where I have peak vacuum. I might stay with 10* or might go up a bit.
Yeah, to set initial idle speed, plug your vacuum advance (instructions say to plug the EGR/EVAP line too) and turn the solenoid on the Monojet with a 9/16" wrench. Then to set the base idle speed, use your 9/16" wrench to hold the solenoid still while you turn the hex screw inside with a 1/8" Allen wrench. Tighten the screw all the way down, then unplug the solenoid. While holding the solenoid with the 9/16" wrench, back out the hex screw until you get the base idle speed you want. Plug the solenoid back in and check to see that your initial idle speed returns.
While you got your vac adv off, have your vacuum gauge hooked and you can adjust the idle mixture screw while you are at it. Start with it at two turns from full seat, and turn it 1/4 turn at a time and watch for peak vacuum. When you see vacuum drop off, back it off a little. I get 20" HG with the mixture screw nearly out. I'm at 820' above sea level here.
The fast idle is set by bending the linkage when it is sitting on the lobe of the cam on the read of the carb. Mine was pretty close. One of these days I'm going to make a video on how to tune all the stock components for reference for YouTube.
