Here's the answers to some of your questions.
TUNING
1. There is no one tuning setting that is ideal for every engine.
2. EVERYTHING is interrelated . If you change the tire size, it can affect the tune . If you change the plug heat range it can affect the tune . If you use a multi fire box it can affect the tune . The ambient air temp and humidity can affect the tune etc . Tuning it for the driver only then throwing in 3 other people and several slabs of beer in the trunk can affect the tune because the engine is now under more load much like it is when going up a steep hill.
IGNITION TIMING
I am not 100% positive that yours has 22 degrees of advance . I am simply going by the black mark the retards put on it and guessing that is 0 . If it is not exactly , you do not have exactly 22 degrees of advance . An engine determines how much advance it wants, so one simply keeps advancing the timing until it runs at its optimal level which is exactly what I had you do with yours and the fact that it instantly started and instantly idled in the 282 video even though the engine was ice cold but it didn't with the two lower timing settings proves that your idle timing is good enough if not perfect . The other tests I wanted you to do of advancing the timing while it was idling did not work because your plugs loaded up, therefore, we certainly can do that test again once we get it to idle again, however, based on the video, I am 99% certain that any more advance will be too much.
High perf engines like a lot of advance at idle . Weber carbs like more advance than other carbs . If this engine had a normal carb, it would require less advance . 22 degrees of advance at idle is abnormal for a high perf engine but not unheard and considering it has Webers, it makes it a little less abnormal . your engine told us that it wants 22 degrees so i just say ok, there ya go and don't ask why because the reason is irrelevant . the only thing that matters is that it wants 22 and that's it . The fact that it wants so much timing is not in any way an indicator that it has a problem, and it is actually more of an indicator that it is kinda wicked and more of a racing engine than many other street engines out there.
MULTI FIRE IGNITION BOX
A standard ignition fires once . A multi fire box fires many times within a fraction of a second and does so with extremely high voltage, HOWEVER, some boxes only supply multiple spark up to 3000 rpm after which they switch to single spark Make sure the box you get has multi spark above 3000 rpm . The high voltage helps prevent the plugs from getting loaded up by the gas then misfiring . The multiple spark does the same thing because it insures that all the gas gets burned . Burning all the gas also produces a little more power which in turn increases mileage slightly . Efficient engines like ones with wimpy cams and fuel injection and computer controls benefit very little if at all from a multi fire box because they are designed to burn all the gas . In contrast, these dinosaurs with carbs and big cams are incredibly inefficient at burning fuel so they benefit from a mu;ti spark box.
Now, you have the same question that I and many others have had which is, "Once the gas is ignited, why wouldn't it all burn?", which is an xln't question, and my real answer is, I have no fkn idea . All I know is what I have read . What I do know for a fact from doing this countless times, is that a multi fire box will smooth out an engine some and provide more hp and better throttle response and mileage on many of the dinosaurs . Yes, there are many high perf dinosaurs that "appear" to idle and perform just fine, however, that does NOT mean that they will not benefit from a multi fire box, and the fact is that they will, however, many people are either unaware of these boxes and their benefit or they simply don't want to spend the money on one because their engine runs well enough for them which is perfectly fine . One doesn't have to buy every fancy gadget that is out there.
In your case, you absolutely, positively, without question must use one of these boxes as I mentioned to you when we started this . One of the main reasons you need one is because of the cam and carb combo you have . In fact, I was actually shocked when it idled perfectly without touching the carbs.
WILL THE WEBERS EVER WORK PERFECTLY ON YOUR CAR.
If they are tuned properly, they will providing you get a multi fire ignition box . Since it idled perfectly in the video, it most certainly will idle that well again without the box, however, the plugs still eventually loaded up and the box will reduce the loading up as will the hotter plugs you are getting.
HOTTER SPARK PLUGS
The different heat ranges have little to no affect on cylinder temps . The reason that plugs are not designed to run as cold as possible is because they need some heat to burn off carbon deposits created by gas . Since not all engines are created equal, they do not all use the same heat range, although, most use either the same heat range or just one heat range different so they all use a heat range that is similar at least.
Right now, your engine needs a plug that is hotter than most people use but it is not unheard of . The main reason for this is your cam and carb setup . If you had a Weber friendly cam or a normal carb, you would never need the plugs I suggested, however your combination dictates that you need the hotter plugs for the time being . This very well may change after you install an ignition box and tune the carbs and put a working thermostat in there that allows your engine to get warmer than tap water.
COLORTUNE AND MULTI FIRE BOX
If you use a Colortune and then flip a switch so you automatically have a multi fire box, the color of the Colortune will change . This is proof that the box is burning more fuel . This is also proof that you may have to tune the carbs at idle again after you eventually install one . It's really hard to say until you install it, however, by the time you get one, you should be a Weber tuning expert anyway in which case it will be a piece of cake for you to do.
COMPRESSION
Your compression is NOT 11.5 unless the 0 decked the block and milled your heads to around 55 cc's which I seriously doubt they did based on all the other crap we have seen.
Your compression is most likely around 10.4 . This would t least partially explain why your engine seems to turn over at the same speed no matter how much you advance it.
I am uncertain if you have a compression "problem" such as having less than you should . If your rings were worn out, it would smoke like the Marlboro man which I didn't see in the video . The reason I doubt that your compression is what they claim is because of the timing tests we did but we still have a couple more to redo to really tell . What happens on high compression engines is that if it has too much initial advance, it will turn over much more slowly and may pp and spit . Your engine turns over at the same speed irregardless of how much advance it has but again, our last timing test was inconclusive because the plugs loaded up . With good plugs, it may do as mentioned . The best way to determine compression is with a compression gauge, and I would love to know what it is, however, a reliable gauge might cost around $120.00 aud, which imo is an unnecessary expense in your particular case.
THINGS I THINK ARE NECESSARY ITEMS
You absolutely, positively, must have these on your particular engine.
1. Permanently mounted AFR gauge, but I would use 2 gauges because of the Webers.
2. Multi fire ignition box that has multi fire at ALL rpm's.
3. 180 degree thermostat
4. NGK 4 heat range plugs but we will try to tune it so it can eventually use 5's.
5. Electric fans, if for no other reason than you are gonna throw that pos mechanical fan thru your bonnet . Race cars do not have mechanical fans.
6. A DCC electric fan controller for the electric fans.
7. I'm still not sure exactly what the hell they put on it for exhaust but you need straight thru mufflers if yours are not because they are costing you a lot of hp.
