Hi guy's, Well this isn't the first time I have posted thread on my 383 running bad. Let me refresh your memory. Had engine back from being rebuilt about a month ago. I have taken my superbee out twice for 25 min. highway run at 60 mph. My problem is when I start out the engine is idling at 850, when I get about 12 or more miles down the road then the enging starts hitting the 195-200 degree range. If I come up to a light I notice it is running now about 950. And when I get back home I am close to well, last night in 82 degree temp. it was at 980 and about 202-205.The first time was about 1 -2 weeks ago, I have since then bought a new 650 AVS, fixed my timing to idle at approx. 28 degrees advanced and 35 full advance in at 2800 rpm's. My cam is the compcams xtreme energy 268. .477 intake/ .480 exhaust and at .05 duration is .224 -.230.
my vacuum at idle is roughly 9-11 inches, I am not
too sure what it is reading after the highway run I seem to want to shut it down as soon as I pull in the garage.Please help!!

Too much timing too early. Try backing it down to 15* at idle with the vacuum advance disconnected and plugged and see how it runs. You should be at 36* all in at 3600. not 2800.

I went from 10 to 12 on my 383 and it caused exactly what you are seeing on yours. I'm putting it back at 10 since it doesn't seem to run any better and I hate how it hangs up in advance now.

I was surprised that this little timing caused it to happen.

been there done that. Have you changed to lighter springs or anything like that? I ask only because you said you were total advance by 2800,not 3600. You usually dont run v.advance when you come into total that early(2800),and you usually have gone to atleast 1 lighter spring,to bring it all in that quickly. I would do what Stumpy suggets,then bump it up 2* at a time and see what she does. Good luck,keep us posted!

My motor has been finished for about a month as well and runs about 205 which is not unheard of especially on a rebuilt motor. I agree timing should be set first. Good luck!

That dizzy is WAY off. You need to get it curved correctly before changing anything else. Bad timing masks EVERYTHING.

16 to 19 inital
34 to 36 total
all in by 2600 RPM

205 on the road is not hot either. I would be worried if it hits 220 and keeps going. what thermostat is in there? Stock was ussually 195 which is too hot for my tastes. I prefer the 180 or the 160 in some cases.

16 to 19 inital
34 to 36 total
all in by 2600 RPM

You did mean 3600 didn't you. 2600 is way too early to be all in.

Hold up,I thought,for arguements sake that a good guide line for street/performance was all in by 2800(no vacuum adv.),and that a stock set up was roughly 32-3600(with v.adv).

Initial and total being pretty much the same.

Most go for 36* at 3600 for allround performance. At least that seems to be the general concensis on this board.

Guy's I appreciate all info. Let me fill everybody in on what's installed and exactly what I have done the past 3 weeks. You all know what cam is in it, Xtreme268.I went with the package that compcams recommends for this cam. matching valve springs and lifters. KB400 pistons, .03 over, stock 906 heads with 3 angle valve job. Mopar dual plane intake and electronic ignition. 2 weeks ago I was able to get my initial timing at 14 degrees at idle and 35 at approx. 2800 rpm's. I always thought that all advance should be in by 2800, isn't 3600 a little high? Well like I said when I took it out for a 60 mph 25 min. drive on the highway halfway down I turned around off exit and noticed how much faster it was idling and the temp had gone up from when I started out. When I got home and pulled it into the garage it was running around 1000, that is when I started out at about 925-950 idling with no vacuum advance hooked up then. Sorry guy's but I have done just about everything that you all recomended. Then I played a little more with dist. springs and I ended up at one time with all 35 in at idle and it was idling a lot better but I was told that it really should not all be in at idle so I reworked it again and with little springs I have it came in at 28 at idle and there is one spring that I end up with 10 degrees at idle and it was way too sluggish.I had a carter 625 that I changed rods, springs and jets and it never really worked. Now I have the AVS 650. My engine builder dialed in the cam and installed it straight up which compcams recommends due to all there cams are machined with 4 degrees advanced in them. Do you think I could just go ahead and drop in the dist. spring that would put me at 10-11 degrees advance at idle at unhook advance and go for the same drive to see if changes anything?
I was always under the impreesion that for street driven cars that you must leave the advance hooked up just for good drivability and mileage. Does it also help keep engine cooler? I probable don't have but 100 miles on engine since it was rebuilt, could it still be really tight and causing alot of friction/heat because of that. Guy's, I am really in foreign terretory with! Has anyone ever had a phenolic 1/2" spacer that was out of flat up to about .005? I have one and I just took it off today and left it off.

Are you CERTAIN that the balancer mark and the tab on the cover are correct?

I'm shocked you got that thing to fire up at 35 degree or whatever

Well I also have a 383 that likes extremely advanced timing. After converter, carb, distributor, spark plugs+wires swap, compression check, cam swap to lunati 60302 and many posts at cc.com A fellow member diagnosed low static compression. I got 120-140 psi (not bad according to FSM) and no leaks, but the car is slower than it should be with stock 383.
Setting even 20 btdc of initial and 24 of mech advance does not lead to pinging! I drive it with 18 iniial and 24 mechanical and have to live with it, at 10 btdc of initial it was running unevenly and at 0 btdc almost died.
So are you sure about the compression of the rebuilt motor? You used dome pistons so it depends on chamber cc. Did you zero deck the block?

Yes, I am pretty sure balancer marks are dead on.
The guy that built the engine is a pretty smart guy when it comes to rebuilding engines. It is the same balancer and crank. It is aftermarket stock replacement timing cover and the tab is seperate so he was the one that reminded me that he had to bring up TDC before bolting down the tab and cover bolts. And as far as the zero deck goes. The stocks pistons that came out were at zero deck and they have a 1.927 compression height where these KB's are at 1.913 I do believe so that makes the flat part of the pistons down in the bore approx. .014 which isn't too bad. I still have not heard any pinging at all out of the engine I think it is due to the fact that I still have not allowed my mech. timing to go past 35 degrees. I do have the Crane adjustable rockers on that I think are too loose. Not 100 percent sure on adjusting these but I have gotten some good information off these forums to put me close. I had the stock rockers on but was informed to replace them due to the cam and springs I am using and they recommend not using the stock rockers. I know that would upset vacuum if they wen't adjusted properly but not that much!I replaced the intake valley pan gasket a couple of weeks ago just in case I had a vacuum leak their. I just can;t beleive that this cam could be causing all my problems. Should I have bought a carb. that was good up to .224/.230 duration?
I can't help but to think maybe I should have gotten a Holley and or maybe stuck with the Edelbrock 750 I had for a few days and decided to take back. That was when I was still trying to get the timing right so it would idle and accelerate. The AVS650 I have I asked the Edelbrock tech guy over and over if the 650 which is only rated up to .220 at .05 cam duration and he said yes. I am going to take it out for another trip down highway then if it still is behaving the same way throw the vacuum gauge and timing light on it to see if anything has changed that would be causing it to idle faster that when I stared out. Thanks again guy's for particapating in my nighmare!!!

This might be a silly ? but is your car fully warmed up when you set the timing?

Okay guy's update. I took her out for a 20 min. drive down the highway this morning in 82 degree temp. I got off the exit about 7 miles down at the temp of engine was around 195. I came to a stop light and it was idling at 855 and I left the house at 850, so the problem I had before wasn't their at that time. I got back home and put the timing light on and vacuum gauge and everything was at or near what it was when I took off. Idle speed was about 835 and that was about the time I would have been seeing around 925-950
at idle. Here is what I did this morning before going out. I unplugged the vacuum advance and kept the timing at 28 basic and 35 full. Then remember that phenolic 1/2 4 hole spacer I mentioned earlier well, I took it off and left it off for the first time since I had the engine back together. What I did last night was I took the carb. off and just bolted down the spacer with gasket and stuck a .002 feeler gage in at various places. One place or one corner it slid in pretty far, came close to the bore. And this spacer was bolted down tight. I could have found the problem whether it was the spacer or maybe the advance mechanism hanging up inside the dist.
It is idling a little rough but I think I can live with this. I am pretty sure the cam is causing that! I guess I real try and get down the basic timing to around 18-20. Does anyone know where I could pick up distributor springs. Any speed shops carry them? Do I just need Chrysler springs. Has anyone used (gulp)! Chevy. springs? Talk later!

Summit and Jegs carriy the spring kits and I know O'Reilly's does also. BTW it works a lot better if you do one thing at a time and test. Otherwise you won't be sure what actually worked.