I tore down the distributor and gave everything a thorough cleaning. It actually seems to be in pretty good shape but I'm still replacing a few of the wear items including the main shaft and the drive gear with NOS parts, along with the cap, points & condenser.
The question I have is about a fibre "plug" as it's called in the Master Parts Books. It's inserted through the port where the grease cup is located and there's a spring to put tension on it against the shaft. What is/was this for? It sure cut a groove into the shaft and it's "seated" in with a pretty good curve to match the shaft. I have parts books from 1950, 1952, and 1954. The plug, #1869303, group# 2.364, is listed in the '50 and '52 books but is gone by the '54 edition. Is this something, along with the spring, that I should just leave out as it seems the engineers determined in later years it was no longer needed? I'd hate to put it in and cut another groove in my nice new shaft.
Also, are there any opinions on NOS vacuum advance modules? I found one still sealed in it's original box. Has anyone had any experiences good or bad using a roughly 50 year old part in this application? My concern is the diaphragm. I'm not sure if it's probably dry rotted or, if they're typically good being they haven't been exposed to the harsh environment found under the hood. The new one's just look a little too shiny and tinny but, I know performance is more important than originality/appearance.
Thanks,
Shawn
