[patrickt]

Sure, put the line at 36, disconnect the vacuum advance, rev it up to 3500rpm and see how close you are to that line. Drive it, then adjust the timing so you're a little past the line, drive it, then adjust the timing so you're a little before the line, drive it, and after a while you'll find the exact spot that your car likes the most. Always have your head/eye in the same spot when you're pointing the gun. You know you can sometimes make 34 degrees "look like" 36 degrees by just angling your head and eye a different way. If you get to the point where you can say "my car runs best when the timing is just a hair past that red line on the balancer" then that's what you're shooting for. It doesn't matter what the actual number turns out to be, it's how your car drives.