Ok, I'm almost done the carb/intake swap [this is taking way too long] and I cant get the distributor to sit right.

It won't go all the way down.
What are my options?

Thanks, Les

 

Have you lined up the oilpump with the dist?

 

Um, How do I do that?

 

Stick a long flat head screw driver down the hole and turn the oil pump till it will match the tab in the bottom of the distributor. Just don't drop the screwdriver.

 

AG -
Drop me an e-mail and I'll send you a complete distributor installation procedure with photos. You don't need to use a screwdriver to align the pump - there's an easier method:

lars.grimsrud@lmco.com

 

I used to line up the oil pump which was a PITA but read a few guys just crank the eng and let the dist mesh with the pump, works fine, just unhooked the coil so the car won't fire. I think if you point the rotor at the #3 cyl with the eng at TDC the dist will drop and line up as if you had the dist fully down pointing at the #1 cyl but I might be a little off on that. Need to do mine this weekend.

 

Heres how I change a intake manifold and retime: First remove all plug wires from the distributor, next the distributor cap. Bump the starter till the rotor button points straight back to the firewall. mark something on the distributor housing relative to a item that will be left in place during intake removal. Remove the distributor, replace intake or gaskets whatever is the reason for distributor removal. To install, set the distributor back in the hole and try to make it align straigt back to the fire wall, if it won't sit all of the way down make sure that the rotor button is not quite to the referance mark then bump the starter over easily until the distributor aligns with the oil pump and drops into place,(the distributor could spin revolutions and will not effect distibutor timing, it shouldn't take much to connect to the pump) now align the distributor housing to that relative piece I mentioned, snug the hold down, reinstall the cap and wires(in correct order, where they originaly came from). The timing should be close enough to start the car and time it with a light. This all makes sence to me, I hope I have not confused anyone.

 

Lars, I read your paper and I think I understand it.

Thanks, Les

 

Interesting technique, Lars ... walking the distributor.
I usually get the rotor aligned, and then bump the starter to
make it line up with the oil pump drive. Walkign the distributor
looks to take more time, but with less risk of something going
wrong.

 

correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're just doing a carb/intake swap, and aren't turning the motor at all, then cannot you put in the distributor in only 2 ways, one being wrong, and one being right? I'm swapping intakes and in looking at it it seem as though I just need to put it back in, make sure the rotor is on the same side of the motor, and be done with it.

 

If you drop it in JUST right, you're correct in your assumption. However, since the gears are cut at an angle, it's difficult to tell, at first, exactly which tooth to engage when you drop it in. Since the bottom of the distributor mainshaft has a bevel on it, you can drop the distributor in one tooth off, it will engage the shaft, and it will go all the way down in the wrong position. But it's this same shaft bevel that allows you to "walk" the distributor to correct this problem.

NHv -
Actually, the "walking" technique is very fast: you can walk the rotor around to the correct position as fast as you can lift and jab the distributor up and down. I can walk a rotor around 180 degrees in about 15 seconds: it's quick, and allows you to see precisely where you want the rotor to end up in a very controllable fashion.

A note on this, though: The aftermarket replacement distributor shafts for the points-style distrbutors do not have the bevels machined on the end of the mainshaft. Without the bevel, the shaft will not engage with the oil pump unless the distrubutor is absolutely perfectly aligned. This makes the "walking" technique impossible to do. On these aftermarket shafts, I always put a slight bevel on the end of the shaft using my bench grinder. This makes the install very easy.

 

The "walking distributer" technique does work really well.