Well i figured the stroke had nothing to do with it what so ever, but i am just racking my brain.
And come to think of it, your right. How would i know if the balancer has moved or not.

I just replaced the intake gaskets. Before i removed the Dist. i marked it so i wouldnt loose my timing position. I replaced the dist. back in the exact same spot. I went to light the car and she fired right up, no missing or poor running. But i noticed the car was running much fatter. There was a lot of black smoke, and the smell of raw fuel. Before this, the car never once smoked....well except for the rear mickies.

Anyway i went and shot the light at it, and it showed almost 18 initial timing hhhmmmm. So i went back and checked the carb over, all the settings seemed un-changed.
So now i am just sitting here scratching my head. Hell maybe from day one the balancer has been wrong.