My brother-in-law is working on my 54. He says I am missing the clip on the distributor shaft that the rotor slides unto which keeps the rotor from slopping around. There is a small picture of it in the exploded diagram in the 54 shop manual but it is not labelled or named.

I found this on ebay: 6 CYLINDER DISTRIBUTOR ROTOR RETAINING CLIP
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-170ci-200ci-240ci-6-CYLINDER-DISTRIBUTOR-ROTOR-RETAINING-CLIP-/291051813123?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c40a3903&vxp=mtr
My question is: is a 6 cyl distributor clip the same as an 8 cylinder which is what I need.

Or does anyone have one you can part with.

Or (Bill, Number Dummy) can anyone give me a part number?

Thanks!

 

See below, I don't think the listing on eBay is accurate... but the part number shows it should be good for your engine. But, C&G has it for half that...So does MACs which is closer to you
http://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_fa...-cylinder.html

 

Thanks for the quick reply, Ross. Your part number is for a 48. Is it the same for a 54 with a Yblock?

 

"48/ " means 48-on

 

One thing to check before ordering a clip: at least during the flathead years Ford used two styles of rotor retaining springs. The first is the clip pictured above. The second is a thin piece of spring steel shim held in a slot in the distributor shaft. I thought I was missing the clip on my 49 F-2, but realized I had the second design. I simply had to carefully bend the spring steel shim out a bit and the rotor fit nice and tight.

 

After looking at my shop manual more closely and looking at Mac's catalog I believe the 6 cyl used the C clamp but the shop manual shows the 8 cyl has a spring. Mac's catalog only sells the C clamp for 6 cylinders and show nothing for 8 cylinders.

In my 1948-56 Ford Truck Parts and Accessories Illustrations Catalog, the exploded diagram of the 1954 8 cyl distributor shows part 12213 better than the shop manual and it does not look like the C clamp.

Can someone with a 239 Y-block tell me what the rotor retainer looks like. Will the 6 cyl C clamp work?

thanks!

 

Can your BIL take a close-up picture of the top of the distributor shaft? If it has the groove for the C-clip then that would answer the question. But the Parts CD is clear that nothing in '54 used anything else but the C-clip, the older flat style was phased out before that.

 

FWIW, if you can't find a replacement clip a suitable substitute device can be fabricated from plastic or thick card stock, anything to stabilize the rotor. Ford tractors use a similar clip and I've seen them running, doing meaningful work with a fabricated piece stabilizing the rotor. Farmerized, yes. Tractor sitting OOC in the middle of the field, no. The clip positions the rotor and without the clip, the timing is constantly changing. Tell your BIL to stabilize the rotor and go ahead and get the truck running. When the new clip arrives, install and reset the timing.

 

Here is a picture of my 239 rotor from my thread.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11702036
I'm pretty sure I bought a clip. I will have to look that up when I get home.

 

Sorry Joe but I gotta say that is a nasty looking Dizzy.

So when ya buy a new rotor like at Napa it don't come with the clip?

 

Well! let's take a look at your original dizzy and see what you have.

Nope, the clip doesn't come with the rotor. Bummer.

 

Since this is the 1948/56 Ford Truck Parts Catalog, when you see this: 1948/ it means 1948 thru 1956.

OBA-12213 = MANDERBACH FORD in Temple PA has 1 = 610-929-3683 / B & L Ford in Ashland PA has 90 = 570-875-4417.

215/223 dizzy: 0BA-12213 clip is distinct / Y block dizzy pic: Same 0BA-12213 clip, but it's impossible to discern this from the pic.

 

I just looked back through my receipts and I got the clip from Dennis Carpenter for $5.
It works just fine.
0BA-12213
Distributor Rotor Retainer | Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts

Boy the picture on the Mac's site looks like the tab is much wider than the Dennis Carpenter. But it's the same part number, so it's probably just the picture.

 

Thanks to all you replied...

So, Joe you bought the clip/spring for the 6 cylinder distributor and it fits and works on your V8?

Bill, you are right, the part number is the same for the 6 and 8 cylinders and the part pictured in the 8 cyl. diagram is not easy to see what it looks like.

 

Yep, it works great. The desicription on the Dennis Carpenter site says it's for both V-8 and 6
"1955-56 T-BIRD 1949-56 V-8 FORD & MERCURY 1957-59 6CYL FORD 1948-56 F-100/700 ALL"

Of course now it gets me wondering where the commas go in this description.
I think it goes like this:
1955-56 T-BIRD, 1949-56 V-8 FORD & MERCURY, 1957-59 6CYL FORD, 1948-56 F-100/700 ALL
Which means all trucks no matter what engine?