1971 360 ign timing

[mike mandemakers]

hello,
can somebody help me with the correct ignition timing for my 1971 ford f250 360 engine.
also need spark plug gap
points settings

thanks

[HIO Silver]

6° BTDC

Spark gap is .035

.... dunno about points. I use a Pertronix module

[cep62]

points settings

Feeler gauge is .017
Better way is with a dwell meter and my memory thinks its about 28-31 degrees.

[Manny]

Everything above is spot on correct by the old 71' book here. However i might say tweak you timing up to 10 before TDC. They backed it down for emissions but they run crisper in my mind at 10-12. May be worth a little experimenting.

[My427stang]

Everything above is spot on correct by the old 71' book here. However i might say tweak you timing up to 10 before TDC. They backed it down for emissions but they run crisper in my mind at 10-12. May be worth a little experimenting.

I agree, set to 10-12 and forget it. The low compression and loose quench of a 360 likes more timing. If the truck is worth a little investment, a recurve will add even more. You could go 14-16 initial, and with a recurve could limit total to 36-38 and have it all come in quicker. It's not magic on a 360, but a noticeable part throttle and a little mileage improvement

[MTM]

Everything above is spot on correct by the old 71' book here. However i might say tweak you timing up to 10 before TDC. They backed it down for emissions but they run crisper in my mind at 10-12. May be worth a little experimenting.

I agree, set to 10-12 and forget it. The low compression and loose quench of a 360 likes more timing. If the truck is worth a little investment, a recurve will add even more. You could go 14-16 initial, and with a recurve could limit total to 36-38 and have it all come in quicker. It's not magic on a 360, but a noticeable part throttle and a little mileage improvement

As stated above forget the factory spec. Go to 10-12 BTDC and see how it runs. I set mine as high as I could without pre-detonation which I believe was 13-14BTDC. I can get 15mpg if I drive it correctly and low end and cruise is way more responsive. I also have a Mallory CDI ignition, Accel coil and Pertonix Ignitor on it, though it worked nearly as well before I installed the Mallory box. You can also just use a CDI ignition like MSD or Mallory and trigger it with points. The points last a long time because they only provide a ground signal for the CDI box to use as a signal to fire.

If you decide to upgrade the ignition at all the use of a higher resistance coil is a must. The engine will start much easier with a hot coil and a bump in initial ignition timing. The problem is that you either need a Pertonix (or Duraspark distributor) and 12V to the coil or a CDI ignition. One advantage of the CDI ignition boxes is that they can be hooked to the stock resistor wire which is only about 10V. The box only needs between 7-14V to turn on, all of the current for the system actually comes directly from the battery, so no need to replace the resistor wire. I ran a hot coil at full 12-14V with points for a while and it ate the points up very quickly, they needed adjustment about every 150 miles.

I know I am getting long winded here but in my experience with all FE engines is that ignition setup is the biggest improvement you can make in reliability and drivability.