Originally Posted By RapidRobert
for a static (non rotating) test you could line up the magnet to a tooth. install cap. make a mark on dist metal side below the CL of the dist cap bulge (just below the bottom rim of the cap). take off the cap & see how far the rotor clocking from that mark then pump it up & see how far the rotor is from the cap bulge CL. make sure the springs are retracted & this test is "close" cuz the ign fires when the tooth is "just" moveing away from the magnet & it is hard to dead on visualize that timing. (best way) you can check it running with your cap with the 1/2 hole in it, at idle with the can vac nipple capped then with it still idling pump up the can with the mityvac & see how far it moves as you have the light on it, (dont forget to have the DB back to zero), no need to do it at 2500. If it wont run with that much timing then rotate the dist back. Since RP ain't RPM/initial timing/mechanical timing dependent you don't need to have it at 2500 to check. On the 2500 RPM timing check if it was misfiring with the can hooked up at a total of say 46 degrees then run it up to 2500 then unplug the can/cap the nipple & turn the dist till you have 46 deg & see what develops. IIRC you turned the can innards with the 3/32 allen wrench & it got better but if the vac amt at the can is above what it takes to max it out at then the RP change is gonna be the same, it just that CCW with the allen wrench makes it take more in hg to max out at so check on that & you have a huge advantage haveing a Mityvac to play with. I don't remember offhand what size drill bit it takes but at least on an OE reluctor you can look down at the unused roll pin hole to fit a drill bit to it to get the size needed.

Good point it doesn't need to be at 2500 rpm to watch the rotor phase being only dependent on the vacuum advance.
I will get started on this first thing Saturday morning and hopefully have myself an engine that's miss fire free before the weekend is over.
I see that Rick sells a modified reluctor online but he charges 35 bucks for it, seems a little pricey and I shouldn't have much of an issue making my own dowel pin slot on the reluctor with my drill and vice.
The miss firing got better when I turned the vaccum advance ccw which turns it down I thought? Or makes it require more vacuum to advance it.
So I'm thinking the rotor phase is too far ahead which is in turn cross firing to the cylinder ahead of the cylinder it's supposed to be firing, which makes me think I'm going to have to bring the reluctor back a little bit.
I still don't fully understand how this re-locating the reluctor changes the position of the rotor but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Does changing where the reluctor is mounted change where the distributor shaft is lined up?