I have a new mallory distributor on the motor and it has an adjustable vacume advance. Motor is 454 mostly stock, set the timing at 14* initial and 34* total, all in at 2800 springs. I cant seem to figure out which way to turn the allen key to advance the timing. Does a left turn (anticlock wise ) advance and can anyone give me an estimate of how many degrees one usually gets with each turn. Thanks

The spring tension controlled by the allen key adjusts the amount of vacuum needed to actuate the mechanism. It doesn't change the timing. Here's a page with some nice pictures and descriptions:

http://www.kendrick-auto.com/ignition.htm