plug gapping

[CONMAN]

I am in the process of a tune up on my first cobra. It has a 351w bored
0.030" over and not sure what the gap setting should be. Anyone help?

[Ron61]

Depending on your ignition set up and the plugs, the normal gap was around .034 I believe. I run a Jacobs Pro Street and I set mine at about .047 and I think the MSD papers say the same thing. I played around with different settings until I got the one that seems to work best. The more voltage your ignition puts out, the wider gap you can use.

Ron

[vettestr]

Ron was right on as is SOP. You did not ask about other checks but maybe for others too add as things to check. I always check manifold vac readings. Knowing your baseline will help troubleshoot or see how everything is running. Low vac reading may be a leak, chattering needle on gauge may be valve guides etc... Check the color of spark from a plug wire as a neon blue is ideal and a yellow is condensor on older ignitions and an orange spark is weak coil or lower voltage as some of the things to check. Look in the distrib cap for thin carbon traces or lines from ciol tower out or from plug tower to another. Look at plug wires when running in darker area for leaking wires and move a bit with a hammer handle or something with a good insulated handle ( no shocking yourself). If a carb engine I always decarbon the combustion chamber a little by fogging a mist of water into carb throat with engine running at about 2000 RPM, I spray about 30 CC of water to do the job. ( a spray bottle with a mist setting works great) but it must be a mist and do not just pour water into running carb. The cold mist fractures carbon from the plugs - C. chamber from the shock of the mist. I also check initial and total timing readings. A glance at master cylinders to see color of brake fluid is a good idea. It will get darker within about a year and I drain to keep clear to protect all related components. Just draining fluid via farthest away bleeder screw and a short length og vac hose into a jar keeps it a clean easy job. Do not let resivour on firewall get empty or you have to blled the brakes !!! Have fun.