The oil pump priming tool I borrowed from the local auto parts store is less than ideal. I have a few old distributors sitting around. Does anyone have any instructions on how to make an oil pump priming tool from an old distributor? I realize you would have to remove the gear at the bottom of the shaft. I have not put a lot of thought into it, but it seems like a logical choice if I wanted to make one of my own. I get frustrated watching YouTube videos. There are so many that are poorly done.
By far the best priming tool is an old distributor housing, especially on a V8 engine. The screwdriver method and some of the aftermarket priming tools don't allow oil pressure to reach the passenger side lifter oil gallery because the distributor housing seals part of it. Instead of removing the drive gear, I simply grind or machine the teeth off of it. I've also used a bare housing with a piece of round steel stock with a drive tang milled or ground into the end. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
My distributor is close to the firewall and I had to build this to spin the oil pump. I could not fit the hand drill directly over the distributor hole. As mentioned, use an old distributor and cut the top off, then add the U-joint so I could attach the hand drill. I pressed a bushing onto the shaft at both the top and bottom to keep things in place.
I like Mark's idea. Another option would be to put a square socket on the top end of the distributor shaft and use one of the flex extensions. I got one for 1/4 square drive which would work well for this application.
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I use 1/4" drive universal joints to power chamber reamers when fitting rifle barrels on the lathe. Haven't broken one yet. That Ebay priming tool won't pressurize the passenger's side lifter gallery, as I mentioned before. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Take the modified gear off and that same tool will work to prime a 216/235/261. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
If you scribe a or grind a mark on the top of the shaft that show the position of the oil pump drive it will make it easier to index you distributor. I cheated and bought one from Summit ($10.00), I still marked the top of the shaft though.
Last edited by TUTS 59; 11/15/20219:55 PM.
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Be sure the flats you grind are equal width and centered. A drill chuck has three jaws, so you only need three flats, not six. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
The groove down near the gear is actually the one that intersects the oil gallery. On the 265 engines from the mid-1950's, there was a flat spot on the housing instead of a groove. If the distributor was clocked wrong when the engine was assembled, oil would be cut off to the passenger's side hydraulic lifters and the engine would make a terrible racket. 283's got the full circle groove to prevent that from happening. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
