Fact. It takes a long time to sort out a timing curve. Then getting the distributor to do what the engine wants is another story.
Most engines I see want a bunch of initial, almost no advance through peak torque and then a curve to peak hp. Quick curves and locking them out generally kills power at and around peak torque.
Agreed. Once you find timing that makes max hp, you can pull several degrees at max torque without reducing output and then ramp low rpm up to max torque timing. Not happening with just centrifugal advance.
While all that may be true, here's the reality: a warmed up (hot) 440 in a 3100lb car with a looser converter than stock and 3.55 gears will get along just fine without the timing curve set
perfectly. The idle and off idle timing will be the most important areas to the driver. After that, the engine will pull basically the same where ever the curve is set. A dyno may show some slightly different numbers, but the OP's butt dyno will never tell the difference in curves. And if the driver is pushing the throttle hard, the converter will flash to 3,500RPM anyway. Unless the OP is running drag radials, the traction will already be compromised, so a little more torque from a
perfect curve won't help anything.
The cost to dial the curve in
perfectly will not be worth the money in this combo. That money would be better spent somewhere else. If the OP starts with 25* +/-, we are talking about 8* or so through the curve. Not enough to
kill power. It may loose some torque, but with an abundance at hand given this combo, it won't be noticed.
