What am i looking for or listning for when im retarding my ignition?

 

Timing

 

question 1: why are you retarding your timing? well, as you advance it, you turn the dist a little, run it, and listen for detonation, or pre-ignition. itll be the sound of valves ticking. ( make sure you do this on the same octane gas you will be running, too). when i retarded my timing, i retarded it really far, ran it, and advanced it from there until it ran beautifully. good luck