Hopefully starting my conversion this weekend

[Greenmachine]

I have the jeep running about as well as possible with the carb. It is pulling a steady 21 HG of vacuum at idle (Has issues on the road but they are related to the carb sitting for 6 years and corn gas). Couple of questions before I get started. The engine currently has the large cap HEI with the 4 pin module. Can it be converted to the 8 pin or am I going to have to go with a electronic jeep distributor and convert it? It's a 75 so it was points style prior to hei. Does anyone have a bin file for a 360 handy that they would share? I went with a reman computer and I do not even have a gm chip to start with (moates autoprom).

[FSJ Guy]

I've always used the stock distributor and welded the mechanical advance so it doesn't move. Sorry, can't help you there.

Moates should have a stock Chevy 350 bin file that will get you close enough to start and run the engine. I wouldn't use that timing table, however!!

When setting timing, remember that Chevy sets timing with ZERO degrees of advance. that's what will be programmed into the stock Chevy file. I like to start around 10 degrees or so. Whatever you time it at doesn't really matter, as long as you program that into your bin file.

[Bill usn-1]

If you go to the binderplanet injection forum there is a complete write up for the large cap distr conversion and the basic chip adjustments required to get the system up and running.
Just go to the injection forum and click the "start here" thread.
Here's the new HEI write up.
http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/show ... p?t=128457

[Greenmachine]

Sweet thanks! That is exactly what I needed.

[Greenmachine]

When setting timing, remember that Chevy sets timing with ZERO degrees of advance. that's what will be programmed into the stock Chevy file. I like to start around 10 degrees or so. Whatever you time it at doesn't really matter, as long as you program that into your bin file.

Mine makes the most vacuum and runs smoothest at about 20 degrees advanced. I tried it a 12 and it will barely idle (this was with the vacuum advance blocked to set initial timing) I doubt it would run if I left the timing at 0.

[Bill usn-1]

Please, please, please, try to understand how the system works before making changes to the baseline settings.
There is a reason the base timing is set at 0*. It is not just some random number.
It also has nothing to do with an engine idling at 15-20* if that's what your engine likes.
read the basic chip adjustment FAQ and follow it prior to making changes.
I'm not saying you can't set it to 10* base timing setting, just that you need to understand how it affects the rest of the operations.

[Greenmachine]

I have read through the binder planet forums and here and gear head efi and the third gen forums. It is a lot of information. My brain only has so much room in it. The army crammed EP's and Limits for 3 different helicopters in it and sometimes I randomly think of the turbine outlet temp limits for a Rolls-Royce 250 C30R3 (wonder if I could claim some weird form of tourette's at the VA).

[FSJ Guy]

When setting timing, remember that Chevy sets timing with ZERO degrees of advance. that's what will be programmed into the stock Chevy file. I like to start around 10 degrees or so. Whatever you time it at doesn't really matter, as long as you program that into your bin file.

Mine makes the most vacuum and runs smoothest at about 20 degrees advanced. I tried it a 12 and it will barely idle (this was with the vacuum advance blocked to set initial timing) I doubt it would run if I left the timing at 0.

Sorry, this is in reference to setting the BASE (or initial) timing. Chevy bins are set at zero. As documented in lots of places across the interweb, you program your bin file for whatever base timing you will use. Chevy uses zero. The problem with that (as you note) is that an AMC 360/401 will barely run at zero timing. So it's very difficult to set your distributor base timing that way.

That is why I set the base timing to 10 degrees or so. Then you reprogram your bin file to tell the computer that the distributor is already set at 10 degrees (or whatever you set it to). Otherwise, you can leave your timing tables alone. The computer automatically adjusts. That's why you have to tell it what your base timing is. Sorry to be so vague on the first post.

Yes, AMC's like a lot of advance, don't they?

[babywag]

Your mileage may vary...but,
I've never had a problem setting the timing at 0* on any TBI AMC engine, they idle just fine, and start easier as well.

As stated above, make sure the .bin matches the engine setting.
If engine is 0*, .bin needs to be @ 0* with matching timing table. If engine is 10*, .bin needs to be @ 10* with matching timing table.

[Bill usn-1]

Thanks for confirming Babywag.
I try over and over to explain this but it seems to fall on deaf ears.
Maybe I don't own enough AMCs to have enough credit on the Jeep boards, but IH did use the AMC engines so it's not like I don't play with them.
The timing requirements are no different for an AMC/Jeep than any other older engine that ran a carb.
Wide open throttle is still 32-34*, idle can be 0-20* depending on preference and emissions. Highway cruise can be up to about 45-50*.
How quickly it get from idle timing to WOT timing is the actual advance curve and that's what makes a difference, not the idle timing.

I have done close to 50 systems for AMC/jeep engines and every one of them have had a base timing of 0*.
Not one customer or any other of the 100's of DIY persons I have helped tune has needed to change it from 0* base timing.
At idle the timing is normally 10-15*. Some may like a little more but if you have to do emissions then raising the idle timing will cause a failure in HC.

If a fairly stock engine will not start and run at 0* then I would be looking at the engine or the tune itself.
This is just another item that is spread around the web so much that people start to believe it, then it becomes the norm.