What will I screw up if I set my '85 gt's timing while in park and not drive? I'm not enthusiastic about the thought of depending on the parking brake (automatics did not receive the e-brake recall) to hold the car even when just idling.

Thanks.

Set it in park, I Did.

There is no way you can set timing while the car is in gear unless it was on a lift with the wheels off the ground. How would you propose to set the timing on a car with a manual transmission while in gear, by using the parking brake?

Old Lar, some of the posts in recent threads have said timing for automatics must be set with the car in drive, but no explanation as to why this is necessary was given.

Your comments about a lift being necessary are well-taken--I had not thought about that option. However, I think I will follow FieroRacer's advice.