Would like to know if the distributor in my '52 with 216 will work on my (soon to be) newly rebuilt 1955 235.
Part numbers for '52 and older 216 distributor is different than '53 and newer 216. The '53 distributor is listed for both 216 and 235 engines as well. What's the difference?
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
It should fit OK. Starting in '54 the distributor has a taller cap. Advance curves may be slightly different, but I'd be surprised if I could tell the difference behind the wheel. I have a later Chevy distributor in my '52 GMC. The part number on my '52 distributor is the same as listed in the Chevy parts book.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
I would not use it. The material used for the cam in the early motors was different then the later cast cam, steel I think. So the early gears are made of a different material and eat up the gear on the later cast cam. Also uses different point, rotor and cap. I would have to check my delco distributor books but the advance is likely different then the later motor specs. If you take out the cam gear in your new motor, you are pulling the motor out and apart to make repairs and replace the cam, gear and lifters. Why take that chance?
Now please don’t take the wrong, you have spent all this money rebuilding a 55 motor. Why are you cutting corners now? Go on to eBay and pick up a delco 2403 distributor. Does not matter what year as long as it is a 2403. These model distributors were introduced for the 55 model year and were used up through the last 235 in 63. They were also specified as the service replacement for the earlier pre 55 distributors.
Have the distributor rebuilt and use a correct 55-57 vacuum advance.
Wholeheartedly agree makes no sense to cheap out. The 235 was running when I got it, but turns out it had the same III2362 distributor as in my 216. So the 2403 is the one to find and rebuild then. Thanks for the info.
What should I be looking for in a used 2403 to rebuild? Can they be too worn out to rebuild? If you could trust new parts to be any good these days I'd just buy a new one.
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
I put a Torrington needle bearing in the top of stovebolt distributor housings to eliminate the housing wear and shaft wobble problems that have been troublesome for the past 70 years. The lack of shaft wobble also allows me to "blueprint" the cam lobes to get the same lift on each one and get the lobe centers exactly 60 degrees apart.
If you're concerned with the drive gear material on an older distributor, it's always possible to swap for a brand new, unworn bronze gear for a 250 6 cylinder engine. Race parts suppliers like JEGS or Summit have them listed, as well as several sources on Ebay. 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!
They can be. Look at the gears. Are the teeth sharpened to nearly a point? Excess vertical shaft play, rusty lobes, loose pins on the advance plate. There is actually an nos unit on eBay as we speak. I have purchased nos for as little as 125 but 200 seems to be the current rate. Even if it’s nos, you still have to go through it. I had an nos on my machine and would not come up to speck. Had to take it apart, clean, lubricate, then it came up to spec.
Jerry, I would love to see how you install the bearing. Frankly, that would also help deal with too much vertical end play.
I use an open ended Torrington bearing in the housing, after using a chucking reamer to open up the top of the housing for a slight press fit. Then I press a sleeve onto the distributor shaft to bring its OD up to 5/8" to match the bearing ID. A little green LocTite 638 "bushing retaining compound" keeps both pieces firmly locked into place. Here's a link to the parts I use, plus a bronze thrust washer between the centrifugal advance unit and the distributor housing. Remove the grease cup and replace it with a 1/8" NPT zerk fitting.
If you don't have a lathe handy, most of the reaming and fitting can be done in a drill press. Use Kasenit to harden the sleeve before installing it on the distributor shaft if you choose to do so. 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!
Here's a way to bore the housing accurately- - - -make a brass pilot the diameter of the distributor shaft to guide the cutter when boring the housing for the bearing.
"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!
