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How to set timing with mallory 6100M

23 T 4sp

23 T 4sp

Member
I have a ford 289 with an edelbock 600 and mallory 6100M
How do you set the timing with one of these. Right now its
8 degrees tdc at idle. Is there a certain rpm where you set it?
Seems to run fine. Have not driven it yet. I am not sure how
It advances without the old weights and vacuum.
 
If it’s a unilight distributor, you set the timing as normal. Small block fords at idle, 625 or so seem to like in the neighborhood of 10*, depending on the build, etc... the unilight distributors that I have experience with came with a plastic key with steps on it to allow changing the advance. Perhaps Mallory has instructions on their site?
 
Pull the cap and send a pic of the dist looking down at it . W/O knowing what cam is in it it's impossible to recommend a timing curve ... if it runs good and doesn't ping or detonate , drive it ..
 
One last thing. Noticed last night some of the chrome headers
Were glowing red . This is after just running it in the driveway for 10 min
 
That generally means the timing is retarded , waiting for the pic so
I can tell which way the advance curve is modified .....
 
23 T 4sp said:
One last thing. Noticed last night some of the chrome headers
Were glowing red . This is after just running it in the driveway for 10 min
Click to expand...
Retarded for sure. Bump initial up to 15. Speed ~15, vacuum ~15. Should run better.
 
PotvinGuy said:
That's an old distributor with no vacuum advance. Suggest you get a new one with vacuum and hook it to full manifold vacuum, not ported.
Click to expand...
Why ?? IMO plus discussions w/ Mallory tech 20 years ago vac advance might be good for 10% better fuel mileage ( probably closer to 5%....)
 
Here’s a shade tree timing procedure. Warm the motor up to operating temp, set the idle as low as it will idle consistantly, around 625-700, advance the timing until it’s hard to start, back it off until it starts easy and doesn’t ping or knock when you rev it. It should start immediately, that will be as far as you can advance it without some sort if timing retard like a timing computer, etc. Now, I have no idea what your cam specs are, that can make things different, but this method will get it close enough to tune the carb, etc. It seems that you have a older dual point distributor with a electronic conversion kit, correct? Summit has installation and wiring instructions available on line. I’m not sure what the procedure is to set the curve and amount of centrifugal advance on that particular unit, I personally would just set the initial timing as advanced as possible without pre ignition or hard start and see how it runs. You can check the total timing to see if it’s compatible with your build and play with it after you run and drive it to see how it acts.
 
2old2fast said:
Why ?? IMO plus discussions w/ Mallory tech 20 years ago vac advance might be good for 10% better fuel mileage ( probably closer to 5%....)
Click to expand...


20 years ago, we had 100+ octane gas and little need to worry about detonation if we were a little off on the advance versus engine-load curve.

With today's excuse for gasoline, it's more important than in the past to be sure the timing advance backs off under load, (ie: low vacuum conditions)

With vacuum, you can run a little more initial for better response, without the downside of detonation under high load.
 
This is confusing. The conversion is a drop in. There is no advance internal now.
So how does it work ? Another question if i move it from 8 degrees to 10 degrees
Or more would it make the glowing headers stop ?
 
Google is your friend ....,Google " Mallory YL changing advance curve "There are springs and weights underneath the point ( module) plate ,
I have a set of keys , you tell me how many degrees you want , I can give you the key measurement...
 
Most Mallory's had 24* built in from the factory , that means you can run 12-14* initial and not be into detonation..... DEPENDING.......on your compression ratio an camshaft and fuel mixture and fuel being used . That help ??
 
23 T 4sp said:
This is confusing. The conversion is a drop in. There is no advance internal now.
So how does it work ? Another question if i move it from 8 degrees to 10 degrees
Or more would it make the glowing headers stop ?
Click to expand...
Don’t be afraid to change it, you can go back if the desired result isn’t attained. Advancing the timing should help your glowing header issue providing its due to late ignition timing and not a combination of issues. Two degree changes at a time are good to help find your engines happy spot. I usually tighten the distributor just enough to allow me to change it and go drive the car... pull over, make small adjustments, repeat. Once I find the sweet spot, I get the light out, make note of the number for future reference. The number is just a reference point, different variables will create needs for more or less timing in similar engines. Once you get the timing close, tune the carb, then you may need to address the timing again, depending on your build, the weather, how picky you are, tuning can be ongoing.
 
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