C2 Timing-Can't rotate the distributor

[Terry M.]

Re: Yes we do, but htere are pit-falls *TL*

I have to confess that I cheat and mostly look these up on the Complete Restorer CD. I can't remember what airline I flew to Florida last January, much less the issues these stories appeared in.
Also, except for the story by Gary Hodges on distributor drive gear installation in 1995, this little tidbit was buried in much larger stories about distributors.
The CD has two advantages over looking in the paper copies - It saves wear and tear on the originals, and it prevents distraction by other articles. I used to spend a lot of time looking for information - I often got so interested in other stories I forgot what I was originally looking for.
Terry

[Mike McKown]

Re: Dead serious!

If you like "strenuous" try putting in 31 years in an automotive assembly plant and making it run twenty hours a day, all day, on time, and meet your cost and quality objectives. That's strenuous! Have a nice day.

Mike

[Terry M.]

[Clem Z.]

the reason for not being in the service manuals

is most likely because any normal service done to the distributor does not require removing the gear. shimming the end play,changing the advance curve slot and rebushing the housing is not considered normal service by chevy.

[Duke W.]

Re: the reason for not being in the service manual

My '63 Corvette Shop Manual has a step-by-step procedure for disassembling and reassembling the distributor and says nothing about indexing the distributor drive gear at reassembly.

Beginning in '66 when service information was was segregated into separate "chassis service" and "chassis overhaul" manuals the "service" manual would likely not say anything about it, but the "overhaul" manual should have the step-by-step disassembly/assembly procedure.

Perhaps someone with chassis overhaul manual for '66-up could look to see if proper indexing of the drive gear is mentioned in the section on distributor overhaul.

Duke

[Everett Ogilvie]

Re: the reason for not being in the service manual

I checked the '66 Service and Overhaul manuals last night b/c of this discussion. I could have sworn that I had seen the proper gear installation in one of these, but I could not find it in either manual last night. Specifically, the section that tells you to remove the gear, simply says to re-install it. It did not mention the orientation.

[Bill Braun 33186]

Could it be...

that the manuals assumed a certain level of competence and didn't have to specifically say "put it back like it came apart" to prevent legal action. Most instruction manuals today read like a combination of children's books and legal riders. Could it be that people were simply less stupid back then?

Bill

[John H.]

Re: Could it be...

Bill -

Possibly, but I think there were about two million fewer lawyers then, it wasn't ethical for them to advertise, they didn't have "1-800-We'll Sue" phone numbers, or "We'll Come To You" mobile law offices in motor homes with reserved parking places in hospital parking lots