The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop HEI Distributor

Maybe this is a dumb question, but I have an HEI distributor that I pulled from a 292, etc., that I plan on stuffing in my COE. Everythings apart, I spun the lip down on a friends lathe and now I need to clean up the internals, which have a moderate amount of rust on them, and reassemble. Are any of these internal parts okay to paint? Im not familiar with how an HEI distributor functions. If paint could screw up how these units work, would washing them down with phosphoric acid and wiping them off (no rinse) be an acceptable rust preventative measure?

Thanks, Jeff

The centrifugal advance mechanism under the rotor has a habit of rusting. I dismantle everything, (pull the drive gear, and the shaft, too) and buff it all clean with a power brush on the bench grinder. Some advance weights have bushings, others don't. All are bad about wearing the pivot holes oblong and getting uncertain on the advance. I make new bushings in the lathe, and reassemble everything with a little white Lubriplate grease. Spin it up on the distributor tester, set the advance curve the way you want it by adjusting spring tension and the length of the pivot slots, and you're good to go.

If you don't have all the equipment to do that, find an oldtime race mechanic who does. IM me for more details if you like.
Jerry

I just did a search for a recurving question on Inliners and found this link. It has the distributor tear down with pictures.

http://www.webrodder.com/article.php?AID=53&SID=60&CID=15

added another link;

http://www.pontiacstreetperformance.com/psp/distcurve.html

Larry

Very cool links! Thanks!

Jeff

I wouldn't paint them. I use a thin coat of grease, like Hot Rod says. It will last for years.

Hey, my dad wrote that second link on the Pontiac board! Joe

Thanks for the advice George!

Ive thoroughly gone through the parts and this is a slightly later model with plastic bushings and doesnt show any signs of wear. Im not looking for power, but Id like her to be reasonably efficient. Something about that sm420, 5.43 gears and 36" tires, I dont expect to get good gas mileage and hotrod this thing all, over the place. I want her functional and reliable.

This is going in my 248 for now, but eventually itll be dropped in the 302 replacement when the 248 blows.

I found the new bushings for $5 at the local flaps. Is there a special set of weights and springs that I should be looking for, for this application? I can clean them up and toss you some numbers if it would help.

Thanks again for the advice, Jeff

I dont like these weight kits. Often the weights dont match the cam they ride on. Some of them are really cheaply made. You can get light spring kits with assorted springs you can change & mismatch if you want to get a quicker advance. The adjustable vacuum advance is good & usually come with a spring assort.