[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

Hi Schurkey,
Thanks again for helping out ,always enjoy your posts.

[Elvis Voice] Thankyew, thankyew verra much! [/Elvis Voice]

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

I've ran with 18 initial for quite some time over the years. I have an imi starter and it's never kicked back or been an issue, always started for me.. really enjoyed that starter over the big one!

OK. I have an IMI on my boat. (454 Chevy)

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

My off idle advance doesn't come on till about 1200 rpm and I'm under it at about 950 in idle and 750-850 in drive.

Idle speeds seem high. Consider adding vacuum advance, and reducing the idle speed.

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

My mechanical advance from factory was limited to 18, I did a blip to 3000 and set gun to 36, it hit the zero line . so I'm bang on 18+18 = 36.

Are you SURE the advance is "all in" at only 3K rpm? Wouldn't be unusual for factory advance to need higher rpm to fully extend.

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

Vac advance is currently not hooked up. When it was , it was crane limit adjusted to 6-10 degrees , to ported. so i think , that this is what I would consider quite optimized distributor?

In most cases, an engine used primarily at part-throttle should have vacuum advance. Improved throttle response, improved fuel economy, reduced plug fouling. Potential for lower heat rejection to coolant. Too many benefits to overlook.

The amount of vacuum advance, and the amount of vacuum needed to activate it are both part of the tuning process. Manifold vs. ported = use whichever works best--but that's generally (not always) manifold vacuum.

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

You're saying if I have a HEI, that has the adapter to run the old points coil and not HEI coil in cap, that it would work a bit better than this points? If so I'd switch for sure on your recommendation.

Every vehicle I own either came with electronic ignition or got converted to electronic ignition, starting when I was in trade school in the Dark Ages. I have no use for points until we're attacked with an EMP device.

Using an EXTERNAL coil on an HEI has some benefits, but I would not use a POINTS coil with an HEI.

There's a jillion stand-alone HEI coils in the Treasure Yard, mounted to '87--'99 TBI and Vortec trucks. There are other stand-alone HEI coils on various other vehicles going back to '75 (generally inline 6 or 4-poppers.) And there's plenty of expensive aftermarket stand-alone "HEI" coils, often OEM-style coils mounted in stupid heat-sink brackets as if that did any good. The last oil-filled "canister" coils I bought were Crane Cams (bought out by Comp Cams for their FAST line) low primary resistance PS50 (black) or PS60 (Nickle plated.) At that time, and at least up to May 2019, they were claimed to be "Made in USA".
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fst-730-0050

"Points" coils have primary resistance of 1.4--3 ohms. HEI coils have primary resistance of about half-an-ohm. They flow more current, they charge (saturate) faster, and they produce more spark power. The HEI module is fully capable of handling the half-ohm primary resistance, there's no reason to cripple it with a 1.5-ohm coil.

One of my vehicles has a large-diameter HEI with an external coil, all hot-roddy. I have other vehicles with the large-diameter HEI using the stock in-cap coil, but with a low-resistance button between coil and rotor. For street use, that's all the ignition coil that I think is needed. Simple, easy, effective, inexpensive.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fst-730-8412
(FAST says this low-resistance button works only with "their" ignition coils. Not true. But if you like, MSD sells a comparable part for half again as much money: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-8412 )