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Pertronix distributor

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MoosterP

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1966 Chevelle Malibu
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello all
Question about distributor. It's a Pertronix flame thrower 2. I had it in a gen 1 1970 350. Went right in and worked well. I now have a Blue Print 383. Gen 1 new block. Im having an issue lining up the oil pump drive shaft with gear end of the distributor. I primed the engine with a priming tool and it dropped right in. The distributor shaft is the same length as the primer but when I try to put the distributor in, it won't drop all the way in. It sits about 5/8" higher than the intake. I have been messing with it for hours.
Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
MoosterP said:
Hello all
Question about distributor. It's a Pertronix flame thrower 2. I had it in a gen 1 1970 350. Went right in and worked well. I now have a Blue Print 383. Gen 1 new block. Im having an issue lining up the oil pump drive shaft with gear end of the distributor. I primed the engine with a priming tool and it dropped right in. The distributor shaft is the same length as the primer but when I try to put the distributor in, it won't drop all the way in. It sits about 5/8" higher than the intake. I have been messing with it for hours.
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
It's been a long time since I've done that and it dropped right in -- from what I've read I just got lucky and it can be a hassle. Here's a thread that might give you some ideas:

 
#3 ·
Have someone bump the starter while you gently hold the dist down or get a socket and 1/2 inch ratchet and turn the engine by hand to get the dist to drop in and then install the holddown and rotate the engine til the timing mark lines up at TDC and you'll see that the dist is in the proper place, Good luck!!
 
#4 ·
This method usually works for me...
Image

Just kidding :D

I assume that your engine is at #1 TDC firing and you are trying to point the rotor to the #1 position on the distributor cap.

A little trick I use when installing a distributor is to make a reference mark on the top of the rotor that is in line with the position of the oil pump tang on the distributor gear (I put a small piece of blue painters tape on top of the rotor that is parallel to the oil pump tang). When installing the distributor (... and the distributor gear has not fully dropped onto the oil pump shaft), I note the position of the piece of blue tape that was placed on the rotor. When I remove the distributor to adjust the oil pump shaft, I turn the slot in the oil pump shaft (with a long flat blade screwdriver) so the slot lines up with the position of the blue tape I had just noted. If the distributor still does not drop down all the way, only very minor adjustment to the oil pump shaft slot are needed. This method has worked for me in the past.

I am not a fan of spinning/cranking the engine to fully drop the distributor into place during installation. As you drop the distributor gear onto the cam gear, the rotor will spin clockwise as the distributor is dropping into place. If you stop prior to the distributor fully seated on the intake manifold... but turn/crank the engine to get the distributor to drop as it engages the oil pump shaft, the rotor will continue to spin in a clockwise direction (in addition to the normal cranking rotation) as the distributor drops the remaining distance. So the terminal you thought the rotor was pointing at will not be correct... you need to compensate for the additional rotor rotation as it drops.
BUT... if you are going to turn the engine to get the distributor to drop the final distance, position the rotor towards the #2 distributor cap position (with the engine at #1 TDC firing) prior to the distributor making the "final drop". This way, as the rotor rotates when the distributor makes the final drop (while turning the engine), the rotor should end up facing the #1 terminal on the distributor cap when the engine is at #1 TDC firing.
 
#5 ·
Use a long screw driver to turn the oil pump drive shaft until it lets the distributor drop on in. Look at the bottom of the distributor to see which direction it needs to go.
 
#7 ·
MoosterP said:
Thank you all for your input. I figured out that I had installed the melonized gear upside down....duh. after that it dropped right in. ....dumb ass!!!🙄
Click to expand...
I ordered a PerTronix dist and received it with the gear upside down and a note that the dist was bad, some how I ended up with a returned dist lol
 
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