The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 48 Distributor

I am trying to find a rebuilt distributor or a full rebuild kit for my 1948 truck with no luck. My truck has the original 216 engine and the distributor has a mechanical advance.
Any leads out there?
Thanks…

Try YouTube The jayhawker he has a video on rebuilding your distributer

Haney - If you're looking for a replacement distributor or parts to do your own rebuild, post an ad in the Truck Parts Wanted Swap Meet forum.

If your looking for help on how to do the rebuild, you can continue the conversation here.

Contact Vintage Auto Garage. 800-516-4461

They will rebuild your existing unit for you and may also sell you the parts to do it yourself. The website isn't exactly clear but parts like dizzy bushings, etc are offered for sale. I'd call them for the straight dope.

Stovebolt distributor housings do not run bushings. The steel shaft runs in the cast iron housing, and there is a phenolic plastic thrust button and a spring under the grease cup that pushes the shaft sideways to compensate for housing wear. Once runout gets excessive, which creates variations in point gap and dwell, the distributor was supposed to be discarded and replaced. It's possible to ream the housing for bushings top and bottom to correct for wear, as long as the shaft isn't worn out of round also. A better fix is to bore the top of the housing for a Torrington needle bearing, and press a thin hardened steel collar over the shaft, ground to a minimum clearance fit to the bearing rollers. That's a job anyone who has the unmitigated gall to call himself a machinist can do pretty easily. Then the lobes on the cam can be checked with a dial indicator to assure they all have the same angular accuracy and lift. Then tweak the centrifugal advance to original specifications and be sure the vacuum chamber works properly.
Jerry