Timing with FA/TDC mark on f/wheel on 1949 p/3 75 rover.

As stated in owners instruction manual, if set at above mark opposite the pointer in the gear box housing and the octane selector set at "0" on the sliding scale, with the pinch bolt slackened and move the distributor body so that the rotor is pointing to no 1 lead. set the points to just breaking and re tighten, and then set the points to.012in. now is that set to the acceptable level.Will this give me some trouble free motoring, as this car has not been 100% efficient for some time. please advise if iam reading this correctly. best regards Derrick.Smith.
 
Derrick,
Seeing as modern fuel will almost certainly be better than in 49, I suggest setting the timing by ear. Set the points gap when the nylon is on the peak of the cam, irrespective of the timing setting. Also the lowest octane fuel these days can be pretty dirty, so I use 95 at a minimum. If I dont have a better guide I usually advance timing to the best idle (adjusting that down if necessary), and then road test. If it pings under load, retard gradually until the pinging stops. Note that excessive retardation will make the engine run hotter than usual.
 
Derrick,
Seeing as modern fuel will almost certainly be better than in 49, I suggest setting the timing by ear. Set the points gap when the nylon is on the peak of the cam, irrespective of the timing setting. Also the lowest octane fuel these days can be pretty dirty, so I use 95 at a minimum. If I dont have a better guide I usually advance timing to the best idle (adjusting that down if necessary), and then road test. If it pings under load, retard gradually until the pinging stops. Note that excessive retardation will make the engine run hotter than usual.
Thank you jp928 for your imformation,i will try your 95 octane and set up as your instruction and see how mavis performs this way. Thanks again for your advice. Best regards Derrick.Smith.
 
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