Try 20 initial, 38 max mechanical, then add another 10 with the vacuum advance on the manifold source. With this setup it should be idling at 30. Then set the idle at 800 rpm and readjust the idle mixture screws for best idle (highest vacuum/highest idle).

If the starter complains on hot starts then turn it down to 18 initial and set the vacuum advance to 12.

Have you tried the gutted t-stat yet? That is, just the washer portion of the t-stat.

FYI, the only difference between the 290 hp goodwrenh and the 250hp good wrench is the cam. And the 290 hp cam sucks plus the engine doesn't have enough compression for that cam. You are better off installing your own cam choice to make 290hp. That low performance goodwrench motor was rated from 190 to 260hp. I guess depending if headers were used, environmental conditions, and who was running the test. A 73 vette 350 was rated at 190hp and 270 ftlbs, so i guess you have a vette engine.

if you need to make more power then a head and cam change with be required. Chevy High Performance magazine did a nice 8 part buildup of a goodwrench 350 engine. Do a Google search "goodwrench part 1", "goodwrench part 2", and "goodwrench part 3"

I posted in this thread back at post #11 as to what I thought you should set your timing at and where you should hook up the vacuum advance. You must have slipped by that post.

That setting should enable you to run cooler as well as have great performance. Try it, you'll like it.

I will try it and see what happens..... I was thanking about pulling the thermostat out and seeing what difference it makes.... I am wondering if maybe I just got one that keeps hanging up and not opening all the way or something..... I will give the timing a shot and see what it does for the performance... thanks again guys

I set the timing to 20 and and then adjusted the carb and set idle to 800 adjusted the vacume advance as low as I could wich ended up 35 degrees at idle and the total came out to 51 degrees with the vacume advance..... Sure seamed to help the throttle response when whipping the carb open..... Allthough I ran it and reved it and all for a good 30 minutes and it only ran up to about 200 this time around.... but it also a fairly cool evening around here tonight.... I am sure wondering if this is going to hold the lower tempature when it is 98 degrees outside....

If you get a chance to call around to the radiator shops they will be able to do a carbon monoxide test on your coolant with the fizzies. I do not know what they charge.

I think that I have solved the problem of the fizzies, I didnt have an overflow hooked up to it and when it was cooling down it was sucking air back in to the system.... I am going to get a block tester just to make sure.... It has a die that changes color if the radiator has exhuast in it.... they are 25 bucks at autozone.... I do think I am on the right road though as I have been slowly making progress..... New water pump and an overflow tank and some timing tweaking and carberator adjustments.... It is now not reaching above the 210 but I havnt had a chance to drive it in the heat durring the daytime..... I think the next thing I am going to do is pull the thermostat out and see if it heats up without it in.... if it stays cool without the thermostat then I may go down to a 160 thermostat and try that

Sure is good to hear you have made some progress.

I sure hope that I have made some.... Like I said it has been cool nights here the last couple days and I have not had a chance to run it in the heat.... So I am not sure if I have progress or just cooler weather working with me..... I am however going to pull the thermostat and have a look at it... I think it is hanging up or something... it is odd that it doesnt just open and close but it seams like it just opens a little and restricts the flow when it should open wide open then when it gets hot it will open and then shut again before the coolent temp drops

Don't pull the t-stat out. You need a restriction there to add back pressure to stop the pump from cavitation and to add extra pressure in the block to prevent boiling on the cylinder walls.

So, buy a cheap t-stat and gut it. that is, get a pair of dikes and cut the valve support off then remove the spring and valve. You should be left with just the washer.

you can just buy the washers. circle track guys use just the washers and they come in different ID's. check out summit racing.

The timing should be checked and set with the vacuum advance dis-connected and plugged off. Checking it with the vacuum connected will only give you something to reference to. This is because there will not be any (or very little) vacuum at WOT with the engine under load (driving). Vacuum advance is an aid to drive-ability and helps to get better fuel economy at cruise speeds.

Try setting your Total Mechanical Timing first. This is done with the vacuum advance hose dis-connected and plugged. After the engine has reached full operating temps and the air cleaner is installed, check/set the timing with the engine RPM around 3000. This is to assure that all of the built in mechanical (centrifugal) advance is "all in". Set the timing to 36-38 degrees BTDC at that RPM. If you had Vortec heads (which you don't but someone else reading this might), then set the timing in the 32-34 degree range. Dis-connect the timing light. Re-connect the vacuum advance hose to a full vacuum source. Adjust the idle with the curb idle screw if necessary. Test drive by driving up a slight incline at a moderate speed in high gear. Any pinging? If there is, back the timing off two degrees and test drive again. You are wanting to get the timing at the highest degree of timing with no pinging. This will give the best performance. You can check what the timing is at idle with the vacuum advance hose dis-connected and plugged. It will be about 16-18 degrees with a GM HEI distributor. Other brands of distributors may yield a different number.

You mentioned in a later post about trying a 160 thermostat. All that will do for you is allow the thermostat to begin to open at a lower temp. Once the thermostat is fully open the coolant flow and temp will continue to keep the thermostat open. It will not help get the operating temps down. Running no thermostat will allow the coolant to flow thru the system too fast and then it will not have enough time in the radiator to be cooled down. Some restriction should be employed if you do not wish to run a thermostat. I suggest and run a 180 degree thermostat. If the thermostat does not have a small (1/8" diameter) by-pass hole in it, I will drill one. What this by-pass hole does is allow a small amount of coolant to go thru the thermostat as the engine is warming up to operating temps before the thermostat has begun to open. What you would see on the temperature gauge is a slow continuous raising of the temp until it reaches the normal operating temps. Without the by-pass hole you would see the gauge increase in temp and go above the maximum desired temp (what the thermostat value is marked as), then as the thermostat begins to open the temp gauge will drop. This will continue to cycle up and down like that until the coolant temps are stabilized throughout the system.

FYI

Running at 210 on a new engine is not a bad thing and is not unexpected. New engines will run a little hot. This will stabilize with use. Unless you are getting into the 230 degree range you should be good to go.

you say 230? maybe I am just being picky, I drove it with the new timing settings tonight and it ran well no pinging and I drove it for a good 3 mile drive at about 50mph then slowed it down and drove down a dirt road and got it down to about 1-2 mph and as soon as I was running this slow is when it jumped up... it ran about 210 untill I slowed it down and drove just above idle for a couple minutes then it passed 210 and ran up to about 215... I then kicked the heater on and got the air moving threw it again about 40mph and it dropped to 210 but as soon as I stopped at the house and let it idle it jumped back up 215 and I shut it down.... I am scared to let it get any warmer I guess... If it would stay down 210 I would be happy... but I guess in the back of my mind I am telling myself that I have a 180 thermostat and it shouldnt get any hotter then the thermostats rating.... Am I not correct about this.... It should open at 180 and cool down then open again back and forth and hold the temp down to 180..... I do have a mr gasket high flow thermostat and I do believe that they have a bypass on them allready.... I wonder if I would be better off without the bypass? It seams like the radiator coolant gets warmed up before it opens and then the coolant is not cool out of the radiator to cool it down... Maybe a thermostat without the bypass would cool better letting the coolant stay in the radiator and cool before the thermostat lets any more heated coolent in.... I guess I will just drive it and see what happens.... I live about 10 miles down hill into town and need to drive this rig to work.... I am not worried about the drive in as it is cool in the mornings and its all down hill.... Its the trip home I worry about as it is all uphill and at 5pm its about 98 or better outside....

215 isn't that bad. I agree, don't consider a shut down until 230F.

if the coolant temps make quick swings then that is a sign of a bypass issue. The bypass on a sbc is that 3/8 hole under the bottom water pump mounting bolt on the passenger side. It circulates water all the time and keeps the water temps consistent when the t-stat is closed. yes, the little hole in the t-stat helps but it isn't enough. Try a gutted t-stat to see what happens.

I had a BBC that would run hot (even in the winter) and it was a bypass issue. Ran cool with a gutted t-stat and boiling over with a 180F. I fixed the bypass system then it ran correctly with the 180F.

Those temps don't leave you any room to cruise around whatsoever.

Do they have smaller diameter water pump pulleys around ? I don't know what else to suggest. Everything costs ridiculous money and no actual guarantee that it's the solution to the overheating problem.

How are these high temps affecting the tranny ? Is she an auto or stick ?

Do you think the problem might be a crack ?

How about a nice relaxing compression check ? Ohms resistance test on all the plug wires ?

Hi,when all else fails,swap the radiator cap.

Any progress jeff79 ? What's the latest ?