Retiming my 1949 SC Case

Now my main concern is timing--I'm sure the timing will be all off when I put it back together. How do I go about this? I've seen some of the discussion on the board that pertains to a magneto. Can anyone advise me on retiming a tractor with distributor and coil.

Rather than assume that I know anything. Could someone take me through a step by step sequence to accomplish this task. I would be much obliged. The help I've gotten so far has been great--both directly and indirectly. Thanks in advance. (An aside, I was raised on a farm, started doing field work at 9 years of age--my tractor? an SC Case. Restoring one for sentimental reasons and having great fun and a real challenge)

If I have to take it apart again--I will know how to retime it now. Thanks loads for your help.

Oh, another issue that you may know about. There is a bad spot on the starter ring gear and have to engage it several times before it will catch. (Hate that noise!) Is it possible to rotate the ring gear on the fly wheel so it stops where the gear is not worn so much? And, if so, how much of a job is that? It would mean splitting the tractor. The starter drive gear is fine. Is there any simpler solution to this problem?

You can get a new ring gear at Case or TSC and yes, it takes a split to replace it. I've got the same thing on my SI. I just spin the belt pulley a bit each time I shut it off. I figure I've still got 350 degrees of good flywheel and I'm gonna wear them out before I get a new one...

Took the tractor out to test it today and starts fine and runs okay at idle, but throttled up has little gumption. Then it will do some strange things; start to "miss and sputter, then give a horrendous backfire and kill.(All the dogs in the neigborhood started barking) I have to leave it sit awhile before it will start again, but starts right up then will give a repeat performance. While it was idling I loosened the distributor "clamps" to adjust the timing and lo and behold it started sparking or arcing there. Should that happen? Any ideas what my problem is?. When I got the tractor it did not backfire; not run the best, but no backfire. After taking things apart and cleaning and putting back together, the backfiring started. I put on a new fuel line and sediment bulb. Took the carb apart and cleaned and put on new gaskets. It was backfiring before the carb disassemble, however. I took the carb apart because I thought it might have sucked in some dirt when I had the air cleaner off. Seems to me its not a fuel problem, but a firing problem. If I remove #2 wire for example, the tractor seems to run better with it arcing on the spark plug than when it's attached to the plug. Very weird. Any ideas? This old girl has her own personality, it seems.