Performance update, '79 Scout II

["The Staub Family" <jstaub@domain.elided>]

IH'ers
I just wanted to pass along some good news with my rig. It has been
backfiring during deceleration and was really bogging down when I
accelerated. It also spit out some god-awful smoke at startup. It had built
up slowly over the last year, so I didn't really notice how bad it got.
After a very helpful discussion with John L. (thanks, John!) I found the
culprit was a bad air pump. I removed it and the manifold pipes & blocked
off the EGR valve for good measure (thanks, Dan N for the tip), and it
improved 100%. I took it in the next day to an old tune-up guy in town, and
found that the compression on the 160K 345 motor was above 165 on all
cylinders. Also, I found that I had the dwell set right on the button, and
had the timing set for 8 deg BTDC. The Old Fart said that the engine ran
better with more advance, so he bumped it to about 12 and changed the vacuum
advance from ported to full. Man, it really snaps off the line now. If
anyone is interested in which hoses he switched I'll go out and compare it
to the manual and give you an update.

Also, I adjusted the transmission linkage to the carb so it wouldn't shift
as soon. It was trying to shift as soon as I took off, and was sluggish. on
the '79, there is a screw on the carb linkage that goes down to the
transmission. If it is moved forwards it takes longer to shift. I have it
almost near the front, and it still shifts a bit early for me. It's now
about 1/4" from the front, and if I move it any more it doesn't run right at
high speeds. I'd like to wind out 1st a little more, like I would do with a
manual transmission, and then shift from 2-3 as normal. If I do this
manually with the shifter in 1st it feels great. Does anyone know if there
is another adjustment for the individual gears to adjust the shift point?

Well, I'm pretty psyched at how well the beast is running. Thanks for all
your help- you did whether you know it or not.

Best of luck with your rigs,
John