Seating the Distributor: 1960 FE

[Meridious]

Hi there,

1960 Squarebird, original 352, Auto, AC, and until now, original distributor.

I have had to change my distributor. I have the correct one, exact as the original...but seating it has beaten me senseless. I have had trouble getting some distributors seated before, but wow. WOW!

The shaft lines up for the rotor perfectly, and connects perfectly (Turn the engine, so turns the rotor), but there is about 1/8 of an inch remaining to seat that sucker so oil does not blow back out.

It will not BUDGE and sits JUST above that last rubber 0-Ring. I can get the distributer clamp on and tighten it...but the sucker is not seating any further down.

I did a micro check on the shaft length, the locations of the 2 'seats' that hug in there, and they are identical to the last gamilimiter (I made that measurement up) and I am just baffled.

Like I say, I have had troubles with various vehicles in either getting them out, or getting them seated...but nothing like this.

I could drive the sucker and yet it is 2 1964 silver quarters, stacked, from that last O-Ring from seating down onto the block.

Nuts!

Anyone have any insight?

(Oh, I also measured the depth of the 'female' shaft that sits over the pump shaft to make sure that wasn't the issue. It is the exact as the original)

Thanks,

Merid

[redstangbob]

Check the position of the gear, they are pinned and can be put on in the wrong position. You may be bottomed out on the gear in the block. good luck, Bob C

[Guest]

I got a new one for "Christine",after I had broke one of the mounting points for vacuum advance and can't remember where I got it I marked where the old one sit, took the old one out and installed the new one! Buttoned everything down, started her, done a little adjusting on the timing and wala!!!
Richard D. Hord

[Guest]

Dist. ...

Use a remote starter switch or have someone crank it over for you while you hold down lightly on the dist. and it should drop in. Mike

[simplyconnected]

I'm with Mike Gaffney. The hangup is with the oil pump rod hex. It isn't aligned, and they rarely ever are.

Mike likes to use a remote start button. I like turning the crank by hand. It really doesn't take much... one third of a crankshaft turn (or less) will line-up the hexes, and your distributor will drop right down.

Hope this helps. - Dave

[Meridious]

Hey there!

The oil pump rod is not only aligned, it is working fine. I can crank this car...oil pressure is fine. WEIRD is not the word for it!

The gears on the distro are made in a curved alignment that I have always found will naturally pull the distributor down (or allow it with some pressure) to a perfect match its counterpart gear when the engine is turning (if the oil pump rod is aligned).

And the ideas in the thread about turning the engine or remoting it while holding down on the distributor, I have done (Had my wife turn the engine while I finagled the distributor and put pressure on it).

This tells me that the gears are aligned and the female pump rod end is over the oil pump rod as it should be.

It is like...everything is perfect...car cranks, oil pressure is there...but the distributor will NOT seat that last little bit. That rubber O-ring is just not sitting against the block.

I am going to take the Distributor back and get another one...at this point I think something I cannot see with the naked eye...a warp or a flaw of some sort.

Leave it to this car to completely baffle me on something as simple as replacing the distributor. I was prepared to have to hook up a come-along to get the old one out...but it came out fine...and the car decided to punish me for how easy that was, and wants me to suffer.



Thanks a lot,

Merid

I'm with Mike Gaffney. The hangup is with the oil pump rod hex. It isn't aligned, and they rarely ever are.

Mike likes to use a remote start button. I like turning the crank by hand. It really doesn't take much... one third of a crankshaft turn (or less) will line-up the hexes, and your distributor will drop right down.

Hope this helps. - Dave

[simplyconnected]

...The oil pump rod is not only aligned, it is working fine. I can crank this car...oil pressure is fine...
The gears on the distro are made in a curved alignment that I have always found will naturally pull the distributor down (or allow it with some pressure) to a perfect match its counterpart gear when the engine is turning (if the oil pump rod is aligned)...

"to a perfect match its counterpart gear..." This is where we differ. Something is holding the distributor up. Usually, that means the driveshaft isn't seated properly or the length is wrong.

We need more info about your engine to troubleshoot from this computer. May I assume all your parts are the originals that came from this engine?
* Is this the original distributor? If not, could the shaft be too long? Is the driveshaft upset anywhere preventing full depth on either end? Did you verify the center hex has no obstruction on both ends?
* Did you change gears on the distributor? Could the gear be installed too low and hitting the camshaft? Did you reinstall it upside down? Look for witness marks.
* Is the oil pump original? If not, are the new mating parts the same lengths?
* Is the driveshaft a replacement? Could it be too long? (This is common.)

Your engine is simply a mechanical machine and all parts can be measured for 'fit' clearances. Just because you have oil pressure, means the driveshaft is turning the pump rotors. It doesn't indicate how far the shaft is inserted in either end. - Dave

[jopizz]

The oil pump rod has an adjustable stop on it. Make sure it's not set too high.

[Meridious]

Just realized I never replied to this.

The wheel/gear on the new distributer was off. I mic'ed the gap between the original and the new, and the distance between the gear and the next upper seat was WAY off.

I took both back to the auto parts store, showed them the difference, got another 'replacement' and this one was perfect.

No issues. New one seated like a charm without incident.

First time anything of the sort had happened to me.

[redstangbob]

Glad you got it sorted out, unfortunately this isn't the first time I've seen this problem, that's why I mentioned it earlier. Good luck, Bob C

[Meridious]

Glad you got it sorted out, unfortunately this isn't the first time I've seen this problem, that's why I mentioned it earlier. Good luck, Bob C

Not only were you right about it in general, but the way the replacements (the ones I bought) are made, you could not remove the pin and move the gear to resolve this issue on your own. (Well, you COULD. I guess one could DRILL the thing out...but that's a lot of trouble.)It appears the pin has been tapped by a weld just on the interior.

I guess maybe I am paranoid, but I COMPLETELY disassembled my old distro rather than turn it in as a core. If it can come off of/out that sucker, I own it in a large zip lock bag clearly marked: My Old Distributor Guts.

I do not trust the re-manufactured ones any more.