lack of power

[jarhead76]

OK i go a 76 Silverado K20 4X4 camper special with a 350 small block and a 700R4 trans. a 14 dolt rear axle.  I'm not sure what gears. i don't seem to have the power off the line like i should.  overall it feels like I'm lacking the power i should have.  does any one have any advice on where to start.

thanks
mac

[zieg85]

Being a 76 3/4T you should have pretty tall gears and with a 700R4's 3.06 first gear it should take off very well.  If you have all forward gears you may have a timing issue.  That is where I would start...

[sbx22]

What kind of carb setup do you have? I'd look there in addition to timing like the above mentioned.

[Irish_Alley]

timing will mess with the power bad. thats how i got a ticket once lol, went to pass a school bus (it was empty and going slow and i was prob 21<<<<) well just changed the intake and had the timing retarded way to much, started fine sounded good and i didnt know what i was doing about timing and still dont. but i tried to pass had plenty of room to do it but as i finished passing the broken yellow turned to solid. and i dont know where the state cop came from. think he pulled a smoky and the banded deal out of the back of the bus lol. but he pulled me over and told me i passed in a no passing zone. so i augured with him didnt get loud just saying "no i didnt" that went back and forth a couple times till he stated looking for my vin in the window. i had a dash cover with the hole but it wasnt good enough for him. so he yanks the door open to check for a vin there. i just laughed at him and told him your not going to find anything there. so i ripped the dash pad off the dash and said there, then he proceed to write me i think my second ticket. first one was 80+ in a 50, something told me to slow down so i did about a mile before the county cops saw me  he got me i think 86 in a 50.

[diphthong]

Start with setting your timing, making sure it advances on acceleration, I lost count on how many distributors I unfrozen.

Replace your fuel filter.

Check your timing chain looseness:
Remove the distributor cap. Rotate the vibration damper (clockwise) until your timing marks are at top dead center, have that line dead nails on zero.  It doesn't matter if your ignition rotor is pointing to the #1 or #6 spark plug position

Now, watch the ignition rotor as you rotate the vibration damper (counterclockwise)  and at the least amount of movement of the rotor stop rotating the crankshaft.


Then check your timing markings and see how many degrees of rotation there was before the rotor moved. If it's 5 or more you need a new timing chain.

Once on an ordinary tune-up I found an engine with 14 degrees.



I once had a shop owner tell me "it's possible to have just one plug wire crossed"