engine gasping on fresh break-in

[realsteelGM]

engine is firing at high r.p.m. but gasping in between changing gears at low rpm, set timing in variety of places. Could this be a bad plug or wire or something I am not knowing about? This is a 283 with vortec heads and 2116 eddy intake and 500 cfm eddy carb all new.

[69 longhorn]

What do you run for camshaft, & what is you IGN total set at?

[realsteelGM]

Originally Posted by 69 longhorn

What do you run for camshaft, & what is you IGN total set at?

My cam is a mild cam and adequate for the 283 set-up, it is .420/.443 lift 204/214 duration @ .050
I have not all the correct timing degrees figured out yet. Just experimenting with timing light and frequency.

[69 longhorn]

The cam sounds pretty mild, if you are running HEI dist, I would try to set the initial around 12 -14 btdc (just to get in the ball park). A vac guage will tell a lot,you should run 17-18 vac @ idle(steady)....if not, check for air leaks. crazyAl

[realsteelGM]

Originally Posted by 69 longhorn

The cam sounds pretty mild, if you are running HEI dist, I would try to set the initial around 12 -14 btdc (just to get in the ball park). A vac guage will tell a lot,you should run 17-18 vac @ idle(steady)....if not, check for air leaks. crazyAl

I'll pick up a vac gauge and find out what the total advance adds up to, there is no timing written in stone for this engine set up. Looks like vacuum and setting up a stationary timing mark will be necessary.

[Lee H]

Your engine will run just fine with 16-18 degrees initial and 36 total all in by 2500. Add about 16 degrees vacuum advance, hooked to manifold vacuum, for a total of 52. This timing will work for just about any small block Chevy with a mild to performance build. This will lead to a crisp throttle response and reduced engine temps. If any pinging occurs just back of 1 degree until it no longer pings. Did you verify TDC with the timing mark when you put together your motor? As far as gasping, what does that mean?