Ignition Timing with a Prestolite?

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

Hello gang,

Just for fun, this weekend I rebuilt a used Prestolite distributor and
installed it on my 76 Traveler [thanks to everyone who responded with how
the wires are hooked up].  Not having any reference material on where to
set the initial advance, I used zero degrees BTDC.  This morning on my
drive to work, I had a chance to actually test things out.  My first
impression is that I'm not nearly getting as much spark advance as I was
with prior distributors I've used.  Drivability was much better when I
would crank my MSD Adjustable Timing Unit to 5+ degrees of advance.

After I installed the Prestolite distributor and set the initial timing, I
verified both the function of the mechanical advance and the vacuum
advance.  While I didn't write anything down, the vacuum advance amounted
to about 8 or 9 degrees total.  The mechanical advance increased smoothly
with engine rpm... I wasn't paying attention to the rpm or amount of
mechanical advance... just that it worked.

Can someone who has the appropriate year IH shop manual that covers the
Prestolite distributor tell me what the initial advance setting should be?
I seem to recall seeing a '79 Scout at a wrecking yard with a sticker under
the hood that said something to the effect that the initial advance setting
had been changed by the factory and to now set it at [I think] 2-1/2
degrees BTDC... or was it 5 degrees BTDC.

I'd also like to know the published advance curve so I can compare that to
the previous distributors I've tried.  I should mention that with my former
distributors (both Holly points and electronic), while the engine was
peppier during lower rpm acceleration, I was always on the edge of pinging
under heavy acceleration.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Regards,

John
------------------------------------------------------------------------
jlandry@domain.elided             |
Conservative Libertarian        |  Scout(R) the America others pass by
Life Member of the NRA          | in the Scout Traveler escape-machine.
WA Arms Collectors              |
Commercial Helicopter - Inst.   | 1976 Scout II Traveler "Patriot" model
http://www.halcyon.com/jlandry/ |     1977 Scout II Traveler (Parts)