simms Injector pump Lehman 120 1978

my frindly neighbourhood injector reconditioner has sugested that I advance my timing a whisper to take up gear wear (unburnt diesel exiting exhaust,
not a lot but enought to raise an eyebrow in the Dock) to take up backlash I must rotate the pump against rotation . looking at the pully end the Crankshaft rotates clockwise, camshaft anti clockwise ,if the pump is next in the gear train it will be clockwise but if the raw water pump gear is in the train the pump will anti clockwise . the injectors are new so there is no post burn drip.

Hi henry,
with an engine that old it might be wise to adjust valve clearance. If you have one tight valve rocker it will cause incomplete burn of fuel. Also it will take time to wash out the old fuel residue from the exhaust. Timing should be 20 degrees . Some early manuals show 21 which was corrected to 20 by ford.
Charlie w.