From your post, it seems you think rotor phase has an effect on ignition timing. It doesn't, unless you are so far off that it can cross to the next terminal. The timing is triggered by the pick up. The pick up is stationary when not in vacuum advance. The reluctor is fixed to the rotor. Nothing in the upper half of the distributor changes without vacuum. Timing change at the ENGINE is caused by the distributor shaft being delayed by the mechanical advance. That is all there is to it.
Your second sentence is not correct. Moving the rotor in relationship to the reluctor ( phasing ) will have an effect on ignition timing. I just did this. Installed a different reluctor ( 15 degrees advanced ) in order to get the rotor to line up with the cap terminals. When I checked the timing, it was advanced 15 degrees. Had to retard the dist. to get the mechanical timing back where it belongs.
