<VV> "fast vair advice"

[judynrandy at comcast.net]

Attention all you 'vair hotrodders.  Questions:  1.  I have already installed headers on "Rusty", our '60 4dr rust bucket daily driver.   It's a blast to drive.  Now, I have another '60 car, a 500 4dr that is going to be the foundation for my next project.  In other words, make one good car out of two and use Rusty as the parts car.  (By the way, anyone need a '60 700 belt molding that's in  pretty decent shape when the time comes?  Lemme know.)  My question is this:  Since headers on a  4spd car make it such fun to drive, what happens when they are used on a PG car?  Do they make it just as much fun?  I'm debating whether to switch to a PG or not and am exploring all my options at this point.  I'm also talking a 3:27 diff ratio. 
Question 2.  Yesterday I learned how the corvair ranch adjusts timing on some cars.  They advance it by ear till it pings then back it off a smidge.  The car I brought home from there yesterday was advanced to approximately 24 degrees btdc.  (A '66 110 w/4spd) It drove fantastic.  And didn't ping a bit! even at 65 and 70 coming up I-81 and I-70.   I did have to re-adjust the idle, though.  So, I advanced the timing on Rusty to about the same and it pinged.  So I backed it off to about 20.  It didn't ping there, but now the performance seems to be less than it was before I messed with it.  I had it at the stock '64 110 setting. ( 14, I believe) How much do the headers effect this?  Also, I didn't have to change my idle at all. Am I missing something here?  Or is there more going on than I realize?  Thoughts and opinions please. 
  
Randy (Cap'n) Hook 
Hopewell, PA 
Home of mighty Rusty  ( - :