OK, here is the latest update on my ongoing 235 saga.

For you new guys, here's the FYI: I registered on this site a couple of years ago to learn the finer points of performance 235 rebuilding. This past Dec I get the motor in the car ('54 Bel-Air) and running. 125 miles later in early Jan the oil pump fails due to contact between dist gear and oil pump. Ive been round and round about what was the original failure that caused this.

Now the update:

Got a replacement dist gear and spacers from Stovebolt Engine Co. a few weeks ago. The roll pin hole in the new gear didn't line up PERFECTLY with the roll pin hole in the dist shaft. The misalignment was so small, I decided to try to install it anyway. Surely the distributor shaft and gear are correct, right? So of course during the gear swap, the new gear cracked in half under the roll pin hole as I tried to press the new roll pin in.

So I put all the distributor parts in a box with a polite note requesting a replacement HEI or refund, and mailed the whole mess off to Stovebolt engine co March 14. No word since.

chip :confused:

Preaching the Hot Rod Gospel according to the 4-stroke apostles:

Suck, Squish, Fire and Fumes