Help! installing distributor, won't drop in

[txriverrat]

Hey guys,
I bought one of the Skip White HEI distributors off eBay, got it in the mail today and went to drop it in, but it won't sit down all the way. It feels like it's all the way in, but there's still about 3/8" gap between it and the block. I tried moving the crank while my dad wiggled the dist, but it wouldn't drop. Please help! Do I need to keep rotating the engine till the dist. drops in the rest of the way? I was wary of doing that and throwing the timing way out of whack...I dunno what else to do though, not much experience with v8 engines, kind of learning as I go.


Thanks,
Cole

edit: truck is a 69 with a small block 350

[LowBow]

your oil pump is probably interfering. take a long screwdriver and turn it (a little half moon looking thing below the distributor) until it lines up. you just pull the dizzy out and try to see where the key on it would fit into the oil pump shaft, should work!

[berencam]

there is a key on the bottom of the dizzy, it has to match up to the oil rod. you can take a long flat screwdriver and move the oil rod a bit to the left or right. Make sure the 1st piston is at tdc and on fire stroke, and just keep stabbing one tooth over till you get it in. then mark the dizzy on the post that the rotor points too, thats your first plug.

[Skirkpat]

Grab the rotor, if it won't turn that means it is engaged in the gear on the cam, all you need to do is turn the engine over a few times and it will drop in.

[berencam]

Originally Posted by LowBow

your oil pump is probably interfering. take a long screwdriver and turn it (a little half moon looking thing below the distributor) until it lines up. you just pull the dizzy out and try to see where the key on it would fit into the oil pump shaft, should work!

beat me too it lol

[drivethechevy]

what intake are you running? some older edlebrock intakes and a few other aftermarket aluminum intakes are not made to accept hei distributers and will either need to be swaped out for a different intake, or you can have in machined out and have a spacer made to acomodate for the gap

[berencam]

Originally Posted by drivethechevy

what intake are you running? some older edlebrock intakes and a few other aftermarket aluminum intakes are not made to accept hei distributers and will either need to be swaped out for a different intake, or you can have in machined out and have a spacer made to acomodate for the gap

skip whites hei dizzy's come with the spacer

[txriverrat]

WOW,
Thanks for all the quick replies guys!

LowBow, I will try turning the oil pump tomorrow. That's probably the culprit, I just didn't know that you could turn it with a screwdriver. Cool trick, thanks for sharing!

Drivethechevy, I am not running an aftermarket intake manifold. So far as I know this motor is totally stock. Thanks for the info though, I had been considering an edlebrock intake/carb swap in the future. Looks like I'll have to do more research!

Thanks again guys!

Cole

[dznucks]

i took my old dizzy apart and used the shaft with the gear pinned back on as a tool to turn the oil pump shaft. when removing a dizzy, i have found that if you grab the rotor and turn it counterclockwise as you remove the dizzy, you wont have the problem.

[Longhorn Man]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Grab the rotor, if it won't turn that means it is engaged in the gear on the cam, all you need to do is turn the engine over a few times and it will drop in.

Exactly, have someone put there hand on top of the cap, and then bump the engine over a time or two, it'll drop right in.

[68C15]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

Exactly, have someone put there hand on top of the cap, and then bump the engine over a time or two, it'll drop right in.

putting the cap on is a good way to keep your fingers away from the rotor. a turning rotor can make a mess out of a finger.

[1320tech]

if you hold the top of the dist with the cap on while some one bumps it over make sure dist. is not pluged in or it will light you up and ruin your day ask me how i know.

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by drivethechevy

what intake are you running? some older edlebrock intakes and a few other aftermarket aluminum intakes are not made to accept hei distributers and will either need to be swaped out for a different intake, or you can have in machined out and have a spacer made to acomodate for the gap

That's a new one on me, in 50 years of working on chevy smallblocks I have never seen a spacer under the distributor on points or HEI units on stock or aftermarket manifolds. Could someone post a picture.

[Sinister]

If you take a screwdriver and aim the slot of the pump drive shaft at the #7 intake valve, (about 10 o'clock, looking down on it), it'll drop right in. This assumes your at TDC.