73 400 distributor question

I heard this doesn't have much advance due to it being a smog motor.is this true,and would it be worth putting another distributor in.
thanks,jim

Actually smogger era stock distributors tend to have way too much mechanical advance built into them. If you want to take it apart, you can recurve a stock distributor.

Currently a stock 400? I'd take apart the dist, clean w solvent/dry it/grease the appropriate parts/toss the thick spring w the long loop and note the amt on the plate as well as on the vac adv arm. Add one of the light springs in the MP cellophane pkg along w the original light spring. BEFORE dissassembly of this dist find your ideal initial then shorten the slots to get 36 total (wo vac adv), reassemble it and if it doesn't ping then hookup your vac adv & experiment w it. If it does ping and this is before hooking the vac adv back up you will need a stiffer spring than the light MP one you changed in. In the beginning to get the clip out that's under the felt expand it slightly w your thin needle nose pliers (there's only room to expand it a bit) then grab one vertical leg and whip it around to it's open side and up and out in one motion and on reassembly set it down in there carefully on top of the nub and w 2 thin metal rods or screwdrivers push it down/over the nub then use needle nose pliers to compress it, add the felt w several drops of 30wt oil on it. Any Q's holler back