Pull the engine to replace the timing chain?

[Lee]

Not that it likely has anything to do with your problem, there should be no vacuum on the canister at idle on this car. It’s ported, and there should only be vacuum present at driving speeds. So either you’ve got the throttle way opened to keep it running, or (more likely) somebody hooked it up to full time vacuum.

The timing check isn’t a guarantee, because it could have jumped a tooth, and the previous owner tried readjusted the timing. However, if you put it on TDC on the balancer, the rotor should be pointing where #1 typically is on Fords.

If you want to confirm absolutely…pull the valve cover over number 1, and roll the engine balancer around until you are on the BTDC side of the inlet stroke (not the compression stroke), and you should begin to see the intake pushrod beginning to move somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 30* degrees before top dead center (you need to back that rocker off so you don’t have the internal lifter spring compressing). If it’s jumped a tooth, it’ll be way late in opening, probably 10 to 30 degrees AFTER top dead center.

Edit: actually 8 degrees. They were pretty de-tuned by 77.

[BobCT]

You can check the chain stretch by going to TDC then rotate crank while watching the rotor, stop as soon as it moves. Check the damper to see how many degrees it moved. I just checked mine and it was 3 degrees which is good.