I've been struggling for a few years to make my shiny new 235 run as smoothly as the old original 216 with cracked block. My latest troubleshooting technique is to compare potential problem areas between the sweet running 216 on my 41 Chevy sedan and the 235 in my truck. One detail I found is that the distrubuter on the 41 sedan sits as snug and tight as can be but still advances as it should, while that on the 235 wobbles from side to side. The 235 has an unknown history and I suspect is more worn than it should be, but the distrubuter looks fresh. The housing shaft is 1 1/16 inch, the hole in the block probably 1/16 inch larger, and it seems that the only thing holding the shaft in place is the flat plate that also mounts the vacuum advance. The hole in that plate is noticeably larger than 1 1/16 inch and seems not to be intended to eliminate that wobble.
The rotating shaft in the distributor seems to be fine, no extra play there, but it would seem to me that a distrubutor should sit fairly stable. Have I reason to be concerned?
Karl
