1971 LM318

"Guys,
I've got a 1971 26

"Guys,
I've got a 1971 26'Trojan with a LM318. It runs very smooth and starts easy. However, it will only turn 2500 rpm's under a load. I found the springs in the centrifugal advance were missing. Will this cause the loss in power and where would I find springs or a distributor? I'm having a hard time finding them. Thanks"

"Yikes! That means the motor

"Yikes! That means the motor was timed with the advance all the way (since that's where it's gonna go). That also means you have no spark advance underway, so that's why it's a dog.

Here's my suggestion: Go to a speed shop (or Jegs/ Summit on-line) and by a set of "racing" springs for a Chevy distributor. Experiment a bit to get them to work, using needle nose pliers to bend the suckers into shape. Put her back together, making sure the advance works nice and smooth--and be sure to use soft springs (vs,. stiff ones). Unlike an automotive application, the spark advance is pretty much ON/ OFF. It's all the way in by about 2,500 rpms on that motor.

Jeff

PS: THat distributor is a bear to reassemble if you can't remove the star wheel. Let me know if you need help."

"Jeff..
Thanks. It didn't

"Jeff..
Thanks. It didn't occur to me that the engine was timed with them fully advanced. I tried the Chevy springs, they seemed too long to work properly. I've ordered a Ford racing kit. They guy thinks they are pretty close to the right length. They'll be here tomorrow. I'll know before dark!!
Thanks again..That was a good tip."

"Ok guys, springs are in. No c

"Ok guys, springs are in. No change. None. Notta.. I'm not sure of the timing. The timing marks were impossible to see on the flywheel.But I think its very close to 5 btdc. I experimented advancing and retarding the timing slightly while on the water today. Still didn't seem to matter. I pulled the carb this evening and it was full of gum-rust-trash... I'm rebuilding it tomorrow. Maybe I'm just not getting enough fuel to run past 2500. Of course in the middle of all of this the tranny starts to slip (low fluid) and the water pump locks....Anybody got a cheap "For Sale" sign?"