Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Please

[Richard M.]

I am in distrubutor turmoil. I have been looking for a 1110894 for some time, and previously got some info from here on the forum which helped much, thanks. I finally got one recently and am happy, but here is my problem.

I have another distributor which I bought some time ago, which I thought was a 1110894 but it is not. It's a cast iron(non bowl type with "211" cast on backside of tach drive area), single point(external adjustment), tach drive, vacuum advance, NO side oiler, plastic cam lube wick mounted on baseplate. There is also a cast number on the base under the breaker plate, "38". Because there's NO side oiler it's not a 0984. The aluminum band is missing the part#(rubbed off from vibrating on clamp?), but still has "DELCO REMY" and 8 G 1 date code. When I saw it I thought it was Aug 8, 1961, but had a brain fart and got it reversed. It's year first, then month, then day, so it's really a 58 or 68? Can't be 78 Corvette as it's not a HEI. Alum band has red ink on the backside.

*** Do I have a 1958 or 1968 Corvette distributor, or is it pass car? What is it's part#??????

In my research I found this great reference artice for 1955-1982:Name That Distributor, but I'm still confused.

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2000/march/dist/distp1.asp

Click "Continue" at top of page for all 12 pages.

Thanks,
Rich Mozzetta #13499

[William C.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Most likely a '68. What are the numbers on the vacuum advance? I might be able to cross reference that if it is the original. Feel free to email me directly.

[Richard M.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Hi Bill, A 68 Corvette or Pass Car? Vac adv # is:

MS
201 15

Thanks,
Rich

[William C.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Corvette, no pass car tach drives. 201-15 was used on the following distributors and model years: 1959-61 230hp Dist # 1110946, 1962-250/300hp #1110984, 1963 250-300-340hp #1111024, 1964 250-300hp #1111024, and not based on a quick check, thereafter. The exteror oil hole was deleted with the use of the 1111024, and just looking at it, what you have is either the '024 if it has no external oiling feature, or the '984 if it has the short oil fixture. The earlier ones used the long upward-curving oil fill tube to the best of my knowledge.

[Richard M.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Thanks Bill,

I saw that in the article and thought it was the 024 but I'm baffed about the date code. It appears to be a 024 as there is NO oiler. The article says NO/TD/V (no oiler,tach drive,vac adv) but the date is way off. It's 8G1.

Thanks for your efforts,
Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Bill....thanks.
Ok, more confusion. The 0984 I bought has no ID band, but has: short side oiler(no pipe), tach drive, single point, vac adv, but no cam wick(missing?). The vac advance is MS 163 16. But since the vac advance is replaceable it was likely changed? What's that vac adv application if you know?

My 0984 pics:

Rich

[William C.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Looks right, you can see the slot where the wick for the points lubricator goes, finding them missing is not unusual, and the function they provide is limited. The original vacuum advance would have been a 201, but the 163 is actually a better unit. For Restoration purposes, 201 repro's are available, but if just for driving, I'd keep the 163. It is "all in" at less vacuum, and therefore more stable with today's gas.

[Dave Suesz]

An error in the article...

The article states:

"Overall view of original untouched early distributor #1110847, which is basically identical to the 1955 Corvette #1110855 distributor. This distributor is considered a cast iron bowl-type distributor. Please note that this distributor is not equipped with the standpipe oiler as it should be."

The 55 distributor did not feature a standpipe oiler, it had a grease cup, and grease was forced into the distributor by tightening the cup in. The grease cup could well be in place in the unit in the article photo, but it would be on the unseen side. This is the grease cup:

[Richard M.]

Re: An error in the article...

Hi Dave,

Yes I'm certain there may be some errors in the article, but it's by far the most comprehensive listing I've encountered.
That grease cup reminds me of my dad's old 1930's 42' cabin cruiser that had a water pump with grease caps for lubrication. Before every cruise he'd give them a little "turn".

What's also interesting is the picture of the "stovepipe" oiler on the 0985 pictured. I thought it was like my 0984, just the side mounted GITS cap with no pipe. I guess I'll have to park on a hill sideways to oil mine!

Rich

[Duke W.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Bill - I disagree with the use of the "163" VAC. The aftermarket version is stamped "B1". It may take over 18" to pull it to the limit, which is about what a base engine cam pulls at idle with a manual transmission (less with PG in Drive), so it fails the "2-inch rule".

Unfortunately, GM replaced the "201" in service parts with the "163" and the aftermarket keyed off the service replacement, not the original.

The best aftermarket VAC for base cam engines is stamped "B22", and the nomimal specs are 0@8", 16@15", which is a lot closer to the 201 than 163.

For PG I recommend the "B20", 0@6" 16@12" because of their lower vacuum idling in Drive.

I consider the 163/B1 to be a "boat anchor" - useless on any Corvette engine - or any Chevrolet engine for that matter, but there are a lot of them installed.

Duke

[William C.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

I don't disagree with your description of the replacement, but I'm looking at the specs for a real 163, and they are about 2" better than a 201 at reaching full advance. That was the only context I was making a comparision, as the gentleman is in possession of a 163 currently.

[Joe L.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Rich------

A few comments:

1) You refer here to a "894" distributor. I assume you mean "984" since there was no Corvette distributor of GM #1110894;

2) The style of cast iron distributor seen here was used ONLY for 1962-74 non-FI Corvettes and a few 67-69 Camaros. So, the distributor has to be a 1962-74 distributor; it CANNOT be a 1958;

3) The fact that the housing has no hole at the the rear of the tach cross gear cavity means that it's a distributor that was manufactured prior to ABOUT 1970 or 71;

4) As far as I know, the "stove-pipe" oiler was used only for the 1962 model year. However, it would not surprise me if it was found on some distributors for a year or two after that time;

5) As far as these 62-74 Corvette tach drive, NON-TI distributors go, most of the differences are internal to the distributor and involve the installed cam/weight base, auto cam, weights, and springs. External differences include vacuum advance provisions (the only 62-74 PRODUCTION distributor that lacked provisions for a vacuum advance was 1962 340 hp), the installed vacuum advance control, "hole-or-no hole" (as described above), "stove-pipe oiler" (generally, only 1962 had this as described above), and the distributor ID band (which is easily removed and changed);

6) For the most part, any 62-74 PRODUCTION distributor can be reconfigured to match ANY of the non-FI Corvette distributor part numbers used from 1962-74. The ID band can be changed to match the distributor configuration defined by a particular part number and, presto, one has that distributor.

[Richard M.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Joe, Thanks for the reply......>>>>comments below.

Rich------
A few comments:
1) You refer here to a "894" distributor. I assume you mean "984" since there was no Corvette distributor of GM #1110894;

>>>>Yes a typo

2) The style of cast iron distributor seen here was used ONLY for 1962-74 non-FI Corvettes and a few 67-69 Camaros. So, the distributor has to be a 1962-74 distributor; it CANNOT be a 1958;

>>>>So the band was definitely replaced, makes sense now.

3) The fact that the housing has no hole at the the rear of the tach cross gear cavity means that it's a distributor that was manufactured prior to ABOUT 1970 or 71;

>>>>What was the hole used for?

4) As far as I know, the "stove-pipe" oiler was used only for the 1962 model year. However, it would not surprise me if it was found on some distributors for a year or two after that time;

>>>>Should my 0984 have a stovepipe? Mine does not, just the GITS cap oiler. All 0984s I've seen are this way.

5) As far as these 62-74 Corvette tach drive, NON-TI distributors go, most of the differences are internal to the distributor and involve the installed cam/weight base, auto cam, weights, and springs. External differences include vacuum advance provisions (the only 62-74 PRODUCTION distributor that lacked provisions for a vacuum advance was 1962 340 hp), the installed vacuum advance control, "hole-or-no hole" (as described above), "stove-pipe oiler" (generally, only 1962 had this as described above), and the distributor ID band (which is easily removed and changed);

>>>>Understood.

6) For the most part, any 62-74 PRODUCTION distributor can be reconfigured to match ANY of the non-FI Corvette distributor part numbers used from 1962-74. The ID band can be changed to match the distributor configuration defined by a particular part number and, presto, one has that distributor.

>>>>So my post which shows my 0984 looks ok to you also? I'm still confused about the stovepipes on 62 only.

Thanks,
Rich

[Joe L.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

Rich-----

First, let me clarify my description of "stove pipe oiler". By this, I mean just the VERY short oiler tube with spring-loaded cap (which looks like the rain covering for some stove pipes). I do NOT mean the long "L" shaped oiler as used on some bowl type distributors. That long style oiler was NEVER used on a 62-74 style Corvette distributor.

The hole in the end of the cross gear cavity was added to facilitate installation of a nylon button to control thrust on the tach cross gear. This little improvement was one of the most important ever made to these tach drive distributors. It IMMENSELY improves the longevity of the tach drive gears.

[Duke W.]

Re: Distributors: 55-82 Reference Guide & Help Ple

What are the specs you have for the 163?

Duke