Prior post confusing on timing

[Speedy1]

Well there is a lot of conflicting issues here. My 82sc was smoged by the P.O. and, a week later I started to fix things that didnt work. The motor had a surge problem a miss at idle the rpm's would climb up when hot and very slowly come back to around 950 rpm's, and no cruse control. Well it ended up being a vacume leak, the small hose that comes from the throtle body to the T and to the cruse was broken. also the large hose that goes to the cruse is broken and still is (need help with that one also. What does that one do?) Anyhow how did it pass smog the timing was on the first mark on your left of the pulley and it had a broken vacume line. when I fixed the vacume line I had to readjust the idle so I checked the timing and it was retarted so I bumped it just a R.C.H. past the mark to the right well it ran like a champ but it pinged a bit so I backed the timing back a bit and it is ok now. I don't know where the timing is but it is smoother and idles good but it surges a bit. I replaced the plug wires with new stock ones. replaced the vacume lines and the T. All is good! How can I tell if the fuel ratio was set lean or rich by the clown who smoged it?, because he did not fix the vacume leak, or the shorting stock plug wires. What are the pros and cons for unpluging the O2 sensor? Will the OX lamp come on? Can I unplug the relay under the pass seat instead? Will my cruse still work? Will it kill the fuel economy? Is the timing set with both vacume lines disconected? If not which one gets disconected? What will I gain if the timing is set to achieve 35* total advance with the oxygen sensor disconected and proper air/fuel mixture? 5 -10 Hp? Is that asuming a 3.5% air /fuel mixture. and can that be set by the dwell meter technique?
MORE details please!

[marcesq]

How can I tell if the fuel ratio was set lean or rich by the clown who smoged it

Take the car to a trusted 911 wrench.

What are the pros and cons for unpluging the O2 sensor?

Search the board, but many SC owners unplug the O2 sensor and run without it.

Will the OX lamp come on?

Can't help on that one.

Can I unplug the relay under the pass seat instead?

I believe the preferred method is to unplug at the sensor.

Will my cruse still work? Will it kill the fuel economy?

Can't help there either.

Is the timing set with both vacume lines disconected? If not which one gets disconected?

Both disconnected, set to 5 degrees BTDC at normal running temp, and at 950 rpm.

What will I gain if the timing is set to achieve 35* total advance with the oxygen sensor disconected and proper air/fuel mixture? 5 -10 Hp?

Can't help here either.

Is that asuming a 3.5% air /fuel mixture and can that be set by the dwell meter technique?

Didn't know you could set a/f mixture with a dwell meter.

[A Quiet Boom]

Ok I don't have hard data on HP numbers for advancing the timing on your SC but this is an old hot rodders trick and it does provide more power, in my case, an SC engine with carbs, it also provided better drivability which doesn't surprise me due to the fact that carbs don't distribute the fuel as finely as injection. For performance you want to be a little on the rich side, this will give extra protection against detonation as well as provide a little extra power just don't get carried away with too much fuel. What we are really talking about here is changing the compromise, engine tuning is always a compromise between fuel economy, power and emissions, the factory had to have decent fuel economy and low emissions so that is how they tuned it by giving up a little economy and producing slightly higher emissions you can gain a few HP. When setting timing on any motor I "throw the book out the window" the fact is most engines run best between 32-36 degrees BTDC total timing, I shoot for the highest amount of advance without detonation, do this with the vacuum advance/retard disconnected so they don't influence the total mechanical setting.