[yammiman]

Your cam lift and duration will determine your intitial timing - most modified motors run the best in the 36 to 38 total timing range - what you need to do is take out some of the mechanical advance - take your total timing (36) less your initial timing (8) to determine your mechanical advance (28) - there is a pin in the distributor that the mechanical weight plate ramps up against - you keep putting bigger bushings on the pin until you reach the desired advance - this is with total disregard to the vacuum advance (unhooked) - once you get the initial timing and the total timing where you want it, you work on the vacuum advance - you will need an adjustable advance cannister and go for a total advance of around 48 or as much as the engine will take under load without knocking - 8 degrees initial timing sounds low - if you could post your cam specs I could get you a more accurate initial timing setting!!