'67 spark plug wire to distributor cap sequence...

[Patrick T.]

I have my plug wires hooked up at the distributor the way the AIM calls for, the #1 wire plugged into the cap tower, just to the left of the small door for the dwell adjustment. The problem is I can get the engine running good, but can't get the timing where I want because when I advance the distributor, the vacuum can hits the intake and I only need another quarter inch.

So I tried rotating the distributor one tooth clockwise to get more space to advance it, but now I need to retard it a little and the can now hits the coil bracket.

Some Chevrolet engines start the #1 wire at the tower just above the steel dwell adjustment door. Is this worth a try? What I want to have is the engine properly timed with the vacuum centered between the intake and the coil bracket and so that the large ignition shield will fit properly over the can. Anyone have this setup or what are your opinions to solve this?
Thanks for any info. PT

[Ed Jennings]

Re: '67 spark plug wire to distributor cap sequenc

Everything is relative with a distributor. It really doesn't care where you place #1 wire as long as the relationship to the crankshaft is correct. Have you had your distributor apart? If so, is the dimple on the lower gear aligned with the rotor? If not, you will have problems getting everything to align properly.

[Patrick T.]

[Duke W.]

Re: '67 spark plug wire to distributor cap sequenc

Pull the dist. and check the orientation of the drive gear. It should be
as Ed said, but it's probably 180 out. Reinstall the dist. with the balancer notch set at 10-12 degrees
on the tab, rotate it until the points just start to open, then back a hair; start it up and
complete setting the initial timing.

The #1 wire should be on the tower that approximately aligns with the RIGHT window edge from the orientation of the driver sitting in the car.

Duke

[Patrick T.]

Duke and Ed, check this picture out...

Here is the distributor, the top blue arrow points to the dimple in the distributor gear (the white dot). The lower blue arrow points to the rotor contact, except the contact edge which touches the plug leads is 180 degrees out. Are you saying when the contact is in alignment do you mean the outer contact on the rotor should be in alignment with the dimple, that is, 180 degrees from what is shown here? Thanks PT

[Duke W.]

Re: Duke and Ed, check this picture out...

Yes, the drive gear is installed 180 degrees out from the correct postion. Rotate it 180 degrees on the shaft so the dimple points in the same direction as the rotor tip and your timing problem will be solved.

Excellent picture that shows this problem. There are likely many Chevy engines out there with the drive gear on "backwards". The shop manuals say nothing about correct orientation of the drive gear, so lots of guys get it backwards, then can't understand why they can't get the timing right.

They often try to "fix" it by reindexing the wires on the dist. cap, but this either exacerbates the problem, or doesn't help.

The only way to achieve the proper initial timing on a C2 is to index the wires in the cap as per the shop manuals/AIMs and have the dimple in the drive gear pointing the same direction as the rotor tip.

Duke

[Patrick T.]

[Clem Z.]

Re: Thanks guys, you made my day!

considerate a day lost when you do not learn something new.

[Bernard M.]

Re: Thanks guys, you made my day!

The "spring pin", by which I guess you mean roll pin, is a clue that it's been apart previously. They are originally assembled with a solid pin that is peened over on both ends.

[Jim T.]

Re: Thanks guys, you made my day!

Bernard I don't know what years were peened over, but my original owner 68 and 70 have the "spring pin".

[Ed Jennings]

Re: Thanks guys, you made my day!

Even though you didn't have it apart, someone obviously did in the past. Glad it proved a simple cure.

[Duke W.]

Me too!

Roll pin on my '63 and no one but me ever pulled the distributor and took it apart.

duke