I took my distributor apart today . Wanted to clean 58 years of crud out of it be for installing the electronic ignition . I can't get oil to flow , from the oil shaft to the distributor shaft . Tried spraying brake cleaner and oven cleaner down the hole . nothing goes through . I laid the housing on the wood stove to dry and a black tar like gunk seeped out around the shaft bushing . Now I have the housing in a pot of boiling water trying to clean out the passage . Any Ideals ?

 

make soup? soaking in solvent would seem to be better than boiling water.

 

It's likely sludge-filled, best bet is to note the orientation of the drive gear, then drive the pin out and disassemble the whole thing.

 

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I have it apart to the housing . I did not take out the bushing . I can run a drill down the oil shaft and it hits something solid . I think it is the bushing . Can't understand where the oil is to go .

 

Can you post a picture? Are you talking about an oil cup with a snap cap? The bushing may be oilite, and meant to absorb the oil slowly.

 

The mystery deepens . Talked to a engine builder , he thinks someone has replaced the bushing with a steel one . So I ran a drill down the oil hole past the snap cap and drilled through the bushing . Then I reassembled the distributor and got ready to install the Pertronix Ignitor electronic ignition . No way in hell would it fit . After a lot of checking I find the distributor is from a 57 . I called the guy I bought it from . and he is willing to exchange it if I pay the shipping . I can't complain about that.

 

Aren't 57's the better dizzy with mechanical and vacuum advance? Very pricey if so.

 

Yes the 57 are the better ones , so I lucked out .

 

That should be an oilite bushing and you will not notice oil going through it because it simply wicks it into its pores. I doubt that a steel bushing is a good idea. If it is steel, it is likely to wear the distributor shaft. Drilling an oilite bushing would let the oil run past it and defeat the purpose of having the oil cup. Hmmm. Something may not be right. Pictures?

As far as fit, did your original distributor have a hexagonal shaft orifice (for the intermediate shaft to the oil pump)?

Or, is it jamming in the tight fit the the block itself? I had to dress my distributor housing with a fine flat file to let it JUST fit into the block. Blueing or a marking pen are your friends here. The fit needs to be snug so it doesn't leak around the housing.

 

If it were a steel bushing, it should have been obvious when drilled.

Edit: These people probably have the bushing you need if you can't find replacement.

http://www.buntingbearings.com/pdf/B...g%20040610.pdf

 

I think it's the Pertronix that won't fit?

 

Yes it is the Pertronix that won't fit 56 are different than 57 .