Engine Problem

[J&MStang]

Originally posted by slyfox4
1965 Pony "A" block with T-10

Just had the heads done and installed a new cam.
Valve lift .450/.474
SAE dur. 280/289
SAE timing:btc 27/abc 73/bbc 75/atc 34
Initial timing is 10
Went finger tight on pushrod plus one turn.
The car runs okay but performance is worse than stock.
Also, the car sounds constipated at the tail pipes.

What did I do wrong? What should I check?

What kind of ignition do you have? Stock? Electronic?

How did you time your distributor?

What is initial advance?

What is total advance with vaccuum disconnected and plugged?(read at 3000 rpm and you may need a protractor to mark your harmonic before starting the engine - you'll want marks at 24 degrees advance and 34 degrees advance - white chalk marks will do fine just make sure to mark them carefully). Expect to get a reading of about 24 degrees for this step.

What is total advance with vaccuum advance connected? (read at 3000 rpm and you may need the protractor...). Expect to get a reading of 34 degrees.

What is your ignition timing and are you reasonably sure the cam was timed right? Who did the installation?

I know this sounds like a lot of questions but without knowing the results of the above, its hard to help you diagnose your problem. Sounds like its running very retarded amd that either the cam gear and crank gear are off timing, or the distributor is off timing or lastly, the timing chain has jumped.