So the drive went great. No problems. No full throttle knocking or pinging.

The motor warms up quick and stays steady (thanks to the new aluminum radiator).

The motor is not a powerhouse, but it has consistant power and pulls hard without surging or cutting out (like before).

I got home and pulled it up on the ramps (to let it cool, then I have a rattling exhaust to adjust).

Pulling up the ramps I had it half throttle just to get it up the ramps! LOW POWER!

So, I took the distributor off and apart once again. I dug out a spare 318 points distributor and stole the triangle "snap ring".

My theory is that this missing part has been causing me grief.

Anyway, The snap ring is restored to where it should be and I have reset the initial timing to 6 degrees advanced (for high altitude driving). After all this trouble, I think I may have cured my problem.

Now I might be able to drive this thing this summer!

eightlitermopar