@wot nailed...vacuum advance is for part throttle...36 is where you'll be under full throttle [ie: racing]. The general rule of thumb is to back it off till you don't get detonation and it will start when hot...that's for a street car, as your trap speed on your ET slip may actually tell you something different...
Eric: I had lots, and lots of troubles out of my Pertronix units, and ended up ditching them...I'll try and rattle Casey's cage and get him to chime in.