Yes run stock ignition timing. I would be curious as to what cam is in it, it would determine what the valve clearance should be set at, the RC cams used a lot bigger clearance then most cams of the era. The 836 was a common hot street motor setup. There is no reason that the starter was disconnected unless the internal drive was eliminated. Is the starter still mounted on the motor? Or has it been eliminated completely? You could pull the alternator cover and see if the starter drive and flywheel are still present, if they are there is no reason you couldn't hook the starter back up. Get it good and warmed up and do a compression test on all 4, mmight give a good indication of compression ratio and cam. The cam support in the valve cover was only used in the earlier years at RC with very large cams and stiff valve springs. As the years went on and specific springs got developed for the performance cams for the 750 the support was no longer deemed necessary unless all out racing. Do you know if the motor was actually built at RC or was it built from RC parts but at home. RC sold more parts then he sold motors, many people just bought the parts and built there own.