Thread: 350 spits fire when static timed

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Oops.

I can't believe I muffed that one.

Ok, I'll test ya good:

Muffler bearings: ball or cylindrical?

Originally Posted by firebird77clone

Oops.

Muffler bearings: ball or cylindrical?

Tapered Timken rollers on all mufflers - trust me on this... I know this for a fact....

Originally Posted by glennsexton

Tapered Timken rollers on all mufflers - trust me on this... I know this for a fact....

Granted, a good choice for stock to mild performance applications. However, for high performance you can't beat the flow rates of a helical spiral cut silica-nitrate with intricate heat sinks.

Yes, as Roger said, Do Not Feed The Animals.

And, back to the OP's last question, "could it be a head gasket?". Usually on SBC the head gasket blows between the the Siamese cylinders (two inner) because of the additional heat, which is indicated by the adjacent cylinder also having low compression. While that is the most usual, never rule out the unusual. First indications would be water in the oil and oil film on top of the coolant, I have even seen air bubbles blowing through the coolant from a head gasket leak. But, wether gasket leak to coolant or oil it should read on the plug (the plug different from the others), coolant will usually clean the plug, oil not so.
Your statement of timing set by ear raises the idle speed is indicative of advancing the timing, if you set timing by ear to highest idle speed it will always be to much advance and performance will suffer. So assuming your timing light set is correct and it runs good cold, but as it warms up it runs poorly and is hard to start hot. I would look for a coolant to cylinder leak (head gasket or cracked head), which could have been doctored with bars leak (or similar) by past owner.

Now, back to the zoo...

Originally Posted by glennsexton

Tapered Timken rollers on all mufflers - trust me on this... I know this for a fact....

I beg your pardon but, I run Torrington bearings on my stroker!