Stupid questions

Does anyone know if my vacuum advance dist. is timed or manifold?

It is a stock 2v 390 in a 68 Torino. Unfortunately I tore it down without checking first.

Also why is there no kickdown linkage for the transmission? I thought that was standard on older Fords. It has a C6 tranny.

And what about flushing? A friend recommended I had add some diesel or kerosene to the oil and run for a couple minutes at idle to clean out the sludge, then changing the oil.

This is the original engine, with 57,000 miles. Since it is 40 years old sounds like it may need it. I am in the process of changing the original 2v to a 4 barrel Edel manifold and am worried some gasket material might have slipped by while scraping, which is why flushing sounds like a good idea.

And finally I have read about blocking the exhaust crossover on the Edel intake. Should I do this or just get a spacer for the Edel carb I am installing?

Sorry for all the ramblings, I think I have had a few to many.

Vacuum is ported not manifold. Not sure on kick down. My guess is some one changes something over the years. I dont like the idea of a fast flush on an engine. IF the engine is sludged badly then you will loosen it enough to block the screen and blow it up. I like starting with fresh oil and 500 miles before changing it I add one quart of transmission fluid to crankcase and drive it easy. Not towing or racing. The trans fluid is High detergent and will slowly clean engine just as it slowly got sludged up. I have done this on all my old cars and never had a problem and have it has done wonders for oil consumption also.

The vacuum advance should always be connected to PORTED vacuum, it's usually under the carb or on the side depending on the carb, just make sure at idle there is no vacuum present and your good to go.
The kick depends on the transmission, most have them but some older adn newer ones dont, a vacuum modulator is always hooked to MANIFOLD vacuum.
Use the exhaust cross over blocks when your sole intent is performance and not driviablity. It keeps the intake cooler and that makes more power.
The tranny fluid in the oil is a great idea, it's loaded with detergent and it will have the inside of your engine looking like it was new if you do it on a regular basis. You mentioned that you might have lost some intake material down in the pan and if thats the case just do like you said, after draining out the old oil pour a coulpe quarts of motor flush or diseal fuel till it comes out clean, then pour five quarts of some cheap oil and spin on a new filter run it about a 100 or so miles drop that stuff and pour in the good stuff and never look back.
Goodluck, Charles

Your vacuum advance in 68 might have been hooked to a thermostatic valve, the dist. don't get engine vacuum until the engine warms enough to open the valve, which is after the engine is warm and the choke opens and it comes down off the high idle. Keeps is from running too much advance while it's warming up.

Thanks for everyones help, but I have another question. The intake manifold gaskets came with a soft rubber o-ring/seal which I assume goes on the distributor. I'm just not sure where. When I pulled the dist. there was only a hard plastic seal that came in contact with the intake. Am I supposed to remove that hard seal and replce with the soft one? Or does the soft one go further down the shaft where the dist enters the block? (there was not one there when I pulled the dist.) Once again this is a 68 390 FE motor.

Show us a picture of the distributor, and of the seal.

Several unnecessary gaskets come in kits...

Heres a pic.

the hard seal was soft many years ago. breack it out, replace with new

Thanks for the help.

Yoda that's a silly question....

The rubber seal is what keeps the oil from spewing out that's where it seals on the engine.