I don't think that my timing is advancing on its own (no rats nest, vacuum lines just hooked to the carb), and i don't have the tools to properly lock my distributor, so could I set both leading and trailing to like 15 degrees advanced (i'm thinking 15 degrees because someone said in a different thread that full advance at 4k rpm is 20 degrees)?

 

You really don't want to go more than about 25* full advance. An 8-10*split for the trailing works well.

 

Easy to check if they are working or not. Start the car, and while its idling remove one of the advance vacuum lines from the carb. Put your finger over the nipple to stop the small vacuum leak, then suck on the end of the vacuum line that (of course) leads to the advance mechanism. When you do this, you should hear a change in the rpms. If there is no change, then that advance mechanism is not working. This is easier to do with a timing light, if you have one.

 

i hit the pully that is on the front of the e-shaft with my timing light, and brought the RPM's up with the throttle linkage and i could see the bolts changing position (when the car idles, it looks like the pully isn't moving). this leads me to believe that my timing is getting advanced. i'm still trying to figure out why it feels like it falls flat on its face in the high rpm's.

now i'm starting to lean back toward my secondaries opening up. on my holly 465, should there be fuel being shot into only 2 of the barrels, or all four?