What were the old injectors set to? Big difference in POP setting (old vs. new) could be the source of the performance difference.

Unfortunately I have no idea what the old injectors were set to because it wasnt me who installed them back then, and I havent touched them for six years. It was a multiple hour struggle to get the injectors out safely. I also do not know what type of nozzles they have.
I am sure they were worn because my smoke is gone. I did not change anything else purposely. I d k how many miles those old injectors had in them before me but I added appr 30k miles.

I did have smoke and it always bothered me. Lately it was pretty disturbing bc i could see massive clouds of grey behind me especially when city driving at night, i could blind the driver behind me anytime. It wasnt black or blue smoke, it was greyish. I always saw it in the headlights of cars behind me. I love how people do not tailgate me though!!! Once a rich guy cursed me for stopping early for a traffic light that was soon turning red out so I punished him bigtime in a huge never disappearing grey cloud and he got stuck getting it for a long time and coughing in his cabriolet not seeing a thing for minutes. Nice lesson for those who dont respect vintage diesels and tailgate plus curse at brickers. ... Other drivers and bystanders loved it too bc he was a really mean ahole that kept blocking the box and obstructing pedestrian crosswalks block by block and kept hating the world and its people while constantly cursing.

I used to have lot of grey smoke not at startup but every time i accelerated from lower rpms (All gears). Even worse when tranny was in higher gear compared to actual speeds such as 3rd at 25mph or 2nd at 10-15mph etc or 35 in 4th etc. It happens in traffic when you gotta slow down a bit then you give it gas again but not yet time to shift down. Then it smoked a Lot......
usually it smoked from 1500 to 3000rpm i think, under acceleration and never at idle or startups.
Last time i checked timing it was at .93 i think. I will recheck but now it runs so perfectly that i dont even wanna know. Or should i set it at .95-98? I have no idea but maybe the fuel can get turned up a bit too. The car feels like it could use it now, it just wants to go but something is holding back a little (no brake drag ) ...
Im just thinking it could go / pull even much faster/stronger.

I'll keep experimenting for a few hundred miles without all adjustments then we'll see.
Since the intake and exhaust manifolds got off to be cleaned, i hear and feel the turbo being more active too, it jumps in earlier i think, i noticed hearing a nice healthy whistle as it spools.
I love driving it even more now.