A month ago I worked on a '73 bus with Type 4 engine. 
It was a long drawn out fight that left bitterness and humiliation
in it's wake. I succeded on the poor thing but at great personal
expense. Never do a Free Tune up - it will haunt you the rest of your 
life. I was not pleased when I  got a call from the owner yesterday
telling me he is stranded in a Bank parking lot. It rained all day.
 
Symptoms: runs but when you put in gear (auto) it dies.
Rain up my butt and nothing wrong but won't run. Has to be spirits
of some sort. I got spark and gas and air,, what's left? 
Maybe the distributor isn't moving. Back into the engine room with
butt hanging out in rain and wind. Sucking on hoses etc. It works.
 
 I don't drink so it's time for some Mantras etc. Get your Chakras
back in alignment. Owner being a total shit. 
 
 Once more I go down the hole. Checking points etc for anything.
 I brushed the little ground wire from body of Diz to points plate,
it's broken. Alright! Why does it run at all?
 
 As you recall this braided wire is welded to the plate so now what?
 There is nothing to connect to. I went over to the Parts Store in
hope of some kind of conductive epoxy. No joy - did you know the "Liquid
Solder" they sell is non-conductive? 
 
 The field fix: I took a piece of solder wire and flattened one end.
 I slipped that under the points and routed the wire back around to
 the braided wire. Couple wraps of the braid on solder wire then bend
 back over and mash. We have lift off!
  
Timing this pig again: did I tell you this thing has no timing marks
 on pulley or any other method of finding TDC? 
 From previous experience I get the numbers of a retard of about 7-10
 deg for starting and then runs out to about 40 deg BTDC at hi rpm.
  That's just an observation and has no signifigance to timing.
  
  Some-where back in one of my other lives I heard the you put your 
 remote starter on and get the thing running and start advancing the
 dizzy until the thing won't start and then back it up till it does.
  
  On a bug with 009 this sets you at ~32 deg at hi rpm if you check it
 with a scope. Any way it works good on that '73 ! Where is the timing
 set? I have no idea but I followed the guy home as precaution and he
 ran off and left me. 
  
  Now that I've won one I'm not sure if I want the prize.(another free
 tune-up some time in the future) And no, there still is no timing    mark
on the pulley since as soon as I get it going this guy takes  off!
                                             
   I have the nomex shorts on so fire at will.       west