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Recently I had 'her' '70 M1 power tuned on a chassis dyno. Gained 15hp at the wheels. It had to be done like that because the timing marks were nowhere to be seen.
Yesterday I was able to set the idle speed and idle mixture, knowing the timing was right. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!
As soon as the idle mix was correct and in balance the idle speed shot up. I could at last get it smooth and at the correct speed. Cold idle on choke still needs a bit of attention but it is soooo close now. One problem is that the engine heats up so fast one does not have a lot of time to correct things!
In all I cannot recommend a correctly executed Power Tune highly enough.
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I imagine that such a tune is really the only way to go.
Too know that you are getting the best possible performance from the engine - priceless.
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Another advtage is that a 'miss-fire under load' can be traced quickly. Each plug lead can be pulled off in turn while the engine is under load. No change in running - there is the problem cylinder. Also if the dyno cell is enclosed then lights can be switched off briefly to observe 'leaking' HT leads.
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I am have been really considering having my car put on a dyno machine to have it dialed in like M1FF.
Does anyone know what the hit on my wallet will be for getting the car dyno tested?
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Sorry to sound negative on this topic. But, I'd find out how much they do. I've heard often its simply base timing adjustments. Something like that is easily done by yourself with several test drives. Plus, I would think timing advance curves need to be altered. If you are using a stock Ford distributor that can be time consuming, thus, costly to pay a shop to do. To me it sounds gimmicky. I don't think its worth the money. Knowing the numbers isn't that important unless the car is being used for some type of racing.
Regards,
Mike
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You're not being negative and I appreciate the advice and recommendations. The first thing that came to my mind was advancing the timing a bit. I am running an old Mallory dual point in the car.
Thank you...as always your advice is well taken!
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I got not only the 15 extra hp but charts of HP and Torque V RPM plus Mixture Strength V RPM from Idle to Red Line.
OK, I won't be racing it BUT it gives a great base line for re-jetting and distributor mods. I've done it seat-of-the-pants but seeing actual improvements is completely different.
Cost here is $140/hr (about) normally. The Mustang section of the VCC has been offered a day at $100/car for a simple retune. The best a car can be installed/run/de-mounted is 40min. Might sound a bit $$$ but it is a $300k installation.
Dual Point - yep, would love that.
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Thanks for sharing the cost information M1FF. At least I have some idea of what to expect if I decide to go this route. I like the idea your engine's performance is documented. For me, I really don't know what my 289 is producing for HP and only guess at it with what upgrades I have done to it.
Both you and Mike make great points on dyno tuning a motor.
Thanks for your input!