So what's everyone doing for timing pointers WITH an opti? Seems like fabbing a bracket and TIGing it to the waterpump is the "cleanest" option. Then again I haven't really spent much time looking at it either.

 

for someone who has over 2000 post i did not expect that question, anyway if you are talking about getting TDC, i just remove #1 sparkplug and check it with a screwdriver, My cranksshaft pulley has the arrow on it so I just did a white strip on my opti and turn the crankshaft just to that point (the thing is i still have the remove the sparkplug to see it i got TDC on #1 cylinder or not) . I also marked on my opti witch is number 1 cylinder so if i have my pulley off i just remove the opticap and trun it to TDC.
I have an MSD opti it is being said that u can change the timing with the small crew on top of the opti (2 full turn of the screw is 1 degree) i never i just removed the cap and turn the screw till i get the rotor exactly on the pointer (with TDC on #1). so I hope it 0 now. Hope thing give u something u wanted to know.

PS. maybe you can make a sticker(with the degrees written on) and put it on opticap. Just use you pc and print it on sticker/placerd paper or any good copyshop must be albe to do something like that just thinking

 

I assume he is wanting to make a timing pointer so he can use a timing light and check timing....not so much to find TDC or cylinder 1.....

Could be wrong...

Sorry Wicked I have never messed with it so I can't be any help to you...

Matt

 

I seen a guy on here last year do something like that with the timing cover. Just like the gen1 sbc he used that and ran the pointer on the balancer. I dont recall where I saw it but I think it was on here.

 

Oh ok, thats why i wrote that PS (about the sticker), but I thought that on the LTx the only way to change timing is by tunning or using an ignition box (mallory 685 ect.) I never heard of using a timing light on a LTx or do they use it to verify that the timing is correct when they tunned it?

 

You have to fab one up.

 

sup man?.....hey i did this wit my opti (before i just threw it in the trash lol)....i made a pointer out of a piece of aluminum with a flat base and just two part epoxied it right to the cap on the opti lol.....i needed a quick solution to check the timing after i put the crank trigger on and that was it lol......worked like a champ untill i decided to toss the opti....now im just gonna make one to come righ off of the stock timing cover thinking of just welding it right on to the face like where the opti used to be....

First off just for your own info do not find TDC like that cause you WILL NOT be accurate....you'll be close but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades lol.......best way just FYI is to put a piston stop in the motor through the plug hole...put on a degree wheel and turn the motor clock wise till it stops and mark your # then go all the way counter clockwise till it stops and mark that number.....find the difference between the two and split it and add it to the high number.......pull the stop out and turn the motor to that # on the wheel and bam TDC accurately and in about 15 minutes or less......

ie... 20 degrees one way and 320 the other way thats 60 between the two half of that is 30.......320 plus 30= 350 so your TDC is at 350 degrees on the wheel......

hope that helps

Yes the reason for the light is to verifiy that the timing is indeed correct with what the computer is commanding........like in my case I switched to a FAST XFI computer and a MSD Crank Trigger and Cam Sync Dizzy......when I told the FAST to command 28* at idle the timing light was actually reading 21*....so i had to change the offset in my XFI to get it correct......

 

thanks for the info quick95lt1 i'm still a newbie, but being the reason i dont have a degree wheel (when my engine got rebuilded the builder did use one) i think i'm just going to use the other way, just removing my valve cover and check the valves on the desired cylinder.

 

sounds perfect, I have a billet timing pointer already... 30 min epoxy ftw! I've already got a tdc stop and degree wheel, that's no biggie. All I know is that crank trigger bracket got spaced out ~2 inches with a perfectly caliper matched set of lowes washers

 

hmm...........