some distrtibutor questions

[Werner R.]

the metal collar on my unit says : 1112050 delco 1M1- what was the application??
is there supposed to be a fiber washer between the nylon thrust button and the metal housing?
can i tap in the new bushings [with tool] or do i need to use a press?
is the lower bushing installed with its LOWER edge flush with the lower edge of the housing, or is it installed with the UPPER edge just at that big hole in the housing, or OTHER???

thanks
werner

[William C.]

Re: some distrtibutor questions

1112050-1971-73 Chevrolet 350 engine. 1M1 is December 1 of 1971. Use a press, the lower bearing installs flush with the lower housing edge.

[Werner R.]

Re: some distrtibutor questions

thank you very much for the info. any thoughts on the fiber washer behind the thrust button?? the long island catalogue does not show one, but my unit has one in place. i suppose i ought to thread the opening and use a set screw to adjust the position of the thrust washer, but i wonder if that is worth it. any thoughts?
werner

[William C.]

Re: some distrtibutor questions

The questin of the thrust washer is complex, first, the GM distributors in the 70's wer factory equipped with a nylon thrust button to prevent wear. The distributors built this way have a hole in the bottom of the well where the crossgear rides and the factory thrust bushing pushes into the hole. If this is what you have and it is not showing wera, leave it alone. Second choice would be simply to replace the button with a new one from GM if still available. If not available and you need one, email me offline and I might have one here. The screw approach is a butchers approach to repairing a housing that has been damages by the gear eating into the cast iron of the housing, generally this is a problem in the earlier distributors without the nylon button. so look carefully at what you have and the condition, then make you decision as to how to proceed. Many of the vendors selling a "button" for inside the housing sell a brass bushing that is significantly thicker than the factory item. They can be used, but only if you eliminate the washer just behind the brass coupling, the one between the coupling and the gear.

[Werner R.]

Re: some distrtibutor questions

bill, i probably am not making my question clear. i have two washers in my assembly. the first is a metal washer between the brass coupler and the cross gear. however, i have a second washer. this is a fiber washer that sits between the metal housing and the plastic thrust button [actually "behind" the button]. yes, the button has the extension that goes into the hole in the body after passing through the fiber washer.i have not seen this before and it does not seem original and i do not even know if i need it. just curious. after reading your post, i will NOT tap the housing. thanks again. sorry for all of the questions.
best
werner

[William C.]

Re: some distrtibutor questions

No Problem I haven't seen one with the "fiber" washer you mention, but it sounds like a shim for the plastic thrust washer. If there is no damage to the housing and the gears mesh smoothly, I would likely leave it alone. Just make sure that your tach drive cable is not overly long so as to bottom in the crossgear thus putting pressure on the housing.

[Werner R.]

Re: some distrtibutor questions

thank you. happy motoring.
werner