[TRADERMIKE 2012]

You're not going to believe this but I have made significant progress with my High Temp. issue. This Engine loves Water wetter product, the test prior to this last one had some in it, but there was not enough of this product in the Block to make a difference at that time. This product claims to lower Temps. by 30 degrees F in the entire Engine and a total of 70 degrees in the Heads. Therefore, the first set of Temp. test Numbers of Engine Temps. are possibly 15 degrees lower in the Block and 30 degrees lower in the Heads. The latest readings declare that I gained another 15 degrees using the product, overall, in the Block and another 40 degrees in the Heads.



Pulling the advanced Timing out of this motor from a proven 113.5 to 109.5 has made the over advancement ghost knocking sounds disappear miraculously. It turned out to be the sounds of over advancement, that I was "not" familiar with. The ghost noise from the cracked Harmonic Balancer Hub was a separate issue and is gone too, with the purchase of a new hardened Hub version kit. That HB noise was truly amplified when I installed the Dryer Hose over my Tail pipe, at that time this Vehicle was in the garage tent. I believe that the accident that I had, by driving over the root under my friend's driveway, caused a chain reaction of damage throughout the drive chain, the ghost noises (both HB and over advancement of the Cam) never manifested themselves, until post-accident.

This Engine is Ignition Timed to 6 degrees BTDC, as per the factory recommendations, for a Pontiac 428 ci Motor, according to what I have read over the last 10 years.


This Engines Ignition was timed @ 6 degrees BTDC prior to recently returning the proven Cam timing to 113.5 from 109.5. Then we checked the Initial Ignition Timing and it moved to 10 degrees BTDC, without touching anything, especially the Distributor, why? We returned the Ignition Timing back to a factory setting of 6 degrees BTDC where it seems to work just fine for our purposes.

I am thinking that mathematically speaking 10 degrees - 6 degrees = 4 degrees that we moved the Cam timing that had the effect on the Initial Timing change?

I can only theorize the above statement because, that according to my directions that came with my advanced Timing Gear/Chain kit, were correct in stating that the Crank Gear is notched in two-degree Increments and each one of the Crank degrees corresponds to one at the Cam.

Thus: 8 degrees @ the Crank is equal to 4 degrees @ the Cam. The math is as such, correct me if I am wrong, please. 10 degrees BTDC that my Engine became Initially Timed to by pulling the Cam Timing completely out, going from 109.5 to 113.5 may have caused the Initial Timing to go from 6 degrees BTDC to 10 degrees BTDC, whereby having me to correct for this change in Cam advancement? I had to physically return the Ignition Timing back from 10 degrees BTDC to a factory setting of 6 degrees BTDC. We use a Timing Light, RPM gauge Meter box and a Vacuum gauge with the Vacuum plugged off. Was this to be expected, because this is new territory for us? Since the Ignition Timing is separate from the Cam timing or so I have read. I did not expect one to affect the other that way?

On a special note, my I/P gauge is reading 30 degrees hotter than the actual readings, using my Lazer Gauge. Last night's two Runs for a half-hour each, did not overheat. I think that the Water wetter allowed the Engine to get to its operating Temp. sooner, as well as the change in Timing, "not" allowing the Motor to run too hot. The 421 and Pontiac mods seem to keep the Heads and Block too an even Temp. throughout the system. Possibly, I can attribute some of the lower Temps. to these mods as well. It is impossible to differentiate which change did what when one makes this many changes at once. Overall, I think we are back to a tolerable performance running Vehicle. I am still going to use Rec-89-90 for now. I want to get this Trans. Broken in first, before I change or try 93 Octane unleaded with 10 % Alcohol. Also, I still have my secondary Elec. fan out in front of the Condenser, plus the side kick out front when or if they are needed. Further Testing at highway speeds to come soon, testing on Very hot days is required to see actual progress. As far as playing around with my distributor at this time, this is "not" happening, there is plenty of time for that in the future. I have all the rebuild parts in stock. My MSD Electronic Ignition is factory Timed @ 6 degrees BTDC and we are all in at 38-39 degrees by 3000-3500 RPM. In the future, I want a faster curve, say all in by 2000-2500 or so I have read.

I am posting the various Temp. areas that we have been testing at, so you can see the changes that we have incurred and where.


Too much advance at the Cam, plus add in the Head remanufacture, that included shaving smooth its surface, was just too much change, for this Motor. I learned that a street Motor is not like a race Motor, I never needed the Advance in the Cam when the Melling Factory already installed 1.5 degrees into the Cam from the factory. The Cam was designed by experts, I got caught up in the Hype, don't let it get you, learn from my mistake please. Street cars are driven on the streets and need different tunes, unlike a race car that is driven on a trailer to the race. Street/race does not exist, one or the other, that's what I learned, anyway. JMO. Mike out.

P.S. Now that this Engine is working, I feel that the lower end has zero Ghost noises in it and upon various inspections over the last 10 years it does not have to be rebuilt on the bottom end yet...Let's see how long it lasts. The fact remains that whoever turned the pistons around is proven by forum members to me anyway that it is a race thing and I truly have a race motor, that just happened to belong to a moon Shinner, who? We will never know. The story prevails.