The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop new dist, help

anyone know how to set a new dist. plate with the screw and make sure oil pump is OK,, is there a limit how deep to put the dist. I know how the set the timming by moving the plate,,, but how does one set the plate on the shaft once its removed... thanks,,,

I guess you can set just the bare distributor in and turn rotor till the drive tang drops into the pump slot and mark or measure to a place that won't be covered by the clamp assembly. Remove and reinstall with clamp and plate in place and see if it drops down to your mark or measurement. I was thinking the housing had a step that stopped the distributor at the top of the clamp to give correct spacing but it's been many years for the old brain to gather cobwebs.

It won't go too far, but you can get in far enough to run, but not engage the oil pump. I just put my vacuum advance on as high as I could and once I got the distributor seated, pushed it down to the block, set it at zero, bolted it down. And adjusted the timing from there. If you want to see where the engagement point for the oil pump is, turn it to where you are certain it won't engage, then mark it there, then put it where it WILL engage and make sure you go past that point by what ever it takes to get it firmly seated. This is probably not the official way to do it, but it works. You don't actually use the octane selector to set the timing, as fuel now days is very standardized. I have never used it in 30 years. you loosen the screw on back side and move the distributor and time it using the ball in the flywheel which may not be perfect, but for the extra 2-3 horsepower I might get timing it some other way is just fine by me.