70 LS5 distributor

[Chris H.]

I'm looking at very low mileage coupe. The previous owners (I've talked to all three) are emphatic that nothing paint-wise has been done to the motor. However, the original distributor (band at base 1111464, date 9K16) has red overspray on it near the intake. It's my understanding that the dist was added after the motor was painted. Is this true? If so, any ideas on how this could have happened?

Thanks, Chris

[Dave S.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor

Chris, You are correct about the distributor being added after engine paint. I would guess that someone touched up the engine along the way with a spray can.

[Dave S.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor

Chris, You are correct about the distributor being added after engine paint. I would guess that someone touched up the engine along the way with a spray can.

[Joe L.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor

Chris and Dave-----

I'm not so sure. My original distributor had a small amount of engine orange near the base, too, and I KNOW that no one ever touched my engine paint up because I'm the original owner and I know that I never did it. It's always been my understanding that the distributor was installed when the engine was painted and it was covered with some sort of "masking device" (like a coffee can).

This would not be true for TI distributors, though, for model years 1964-68. During those years, the standard distributor was removed at St. Louis and replaced by the TI distributor. So, no engine orange paint would have had the chance to "defile" the distributor.

[Joe L.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor

Chris and Dave-----

I'm not so sure. My original distributor had a small amount of engine orange near the base, too, and I KNOW that no one ever touched my engine paint up because I'm the original owner and I know that I never did it. It's always been my understanding that the distributor was installed when the engine was painted and it was covered with some sort of "masking device" (like a coffee can).

This would not be true for TI distributors, though, for model years 1964-68. During those years, the standard distributor was removed at St. Louis and replaced by the TI distributor. So, no engine orange paint would have had the chance to "defile" the distributor.

[John H.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor

Distributors were installed at the engine plants prior to "hot test" so timing could be set on the test stand, and the engine was painted after hot-test with a masking device over the distributor (and another mask over the intake manifold if it was aluminum). As Joe pointed out, the engine plant-installed distributor was removed at St. Louis and replaced with a T.I. distributor on K-66 units.

[John H.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor

Distributors were installed at the engine plants prior to "hot test" so timing could be set on the test stand, and the engine was painted after hot-test with a masking device over the distributor (and another mask over the intake manifold if it was aluminum). As Joe pointed out, the engine plant-installed distributor was removed at St. Louis and replaced with a T.I. distributor on K-66 units.

[John H.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor - clarification

I must have missed the "LS5" part of the question - I'm not familiar with the Tonawanda BB process, and Terry McManmon points out that an article in Corvette News in '67 showed a BB on the hot-test stand with smoke from engine paint burning off the exhaust manifolds. I worked next door to Flint Engine (SB's) in '66, where a friend of mine ran the Piston Department, and at that time engines were raw iron at hot-test; they may well have changed the process before and/or after that time for various reasons. I need to find some Flint Engine retirees with good recall of the process over the years .

[John H.]

Re: 70 LS5 distributor - clarification

I must have missed the "LS5" part of the question - I'm not familiar with the Tonawanda BB process, and Terry McManmon points out that an article in Corvette News in '67 showed a BB on the hot-test stand with smoke from engine paint burning off the exhaust manifolds. I worked next door to Flint Engine (SB's) in '66, where a friend of mine ran the Piston Department, and at that time engines were raw iron at hot-test; they may well have changed the process before and/or after that time for various reasons. I need to find some Flint Engine retirees with good recall of the process over the years .