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I've done a little researching and decided to make myself a guinea pig and buy a more recent distributor for my rebuilt 215. She's also getting dual carbs and a slight cam from Clifford Performance, so I felt why not finish this off and get the most reliable spark I can.
I should have the head back in Jan and will start to put the pieces together. I can return this baby if I end up hitting a dead end. If it works as planned, I hope to have a few years of thoughtless ignition. It's larger than I imagined looking at the marketing pics. It does fit fine in the block. Here's a side by side and granted, the old one doesn't have it's cap, but you get the picture.
Now need to swap drive gears, put a 70's L6 oil pump & hex drive shaft and she should be ready to test.
Hey Wallace. I did something similar in my 215 but i used this distributor: https://www.amazon.com/DISTRIBUTOR-7.../dp/B01FRGNFW6
I looked at the one you're using but was afraid it wold hit the tappet cover once its in. I don't know if it would have or not but the other one has a longer shaft. It's still about a quarter inch from the cover.
I'm more interested in what rotor is used (mainly because I forget what a 6 cyl. HEI rotor looks like.) HEI was fairly reliable but the rotor used on most was susceptible to burning through and shorting out to ground underneath the center contact. A small dab of silicone in the center well will prevent that from happening. I'm also curious if the spark curve will be what you'll want. There's a distributor builder in Indianapolis that specializes in this type of retro-fit, a quick google should point you to him. He can advise you what to look for and maybe supply you with weights/springs/etc. if needed.
Rotor looks like a Chevelet. Notice the clearance by the tappet cover. I used the drive from my old LOM dist. Used a 17/32 bit to hog it out so it fits the HEI shaft. Dist is a HEI for a 300. Had to cut a lil off the shaft and cut a slot for the oil pump drive. Would have been easier if I had the later hex drive oil pump. I still need to cut the groove a little deeper.
That's what I thought they used but it's too many years for me to recall correctly. Place a small dab of silicone sealer on the tip of your finger and place a thin smear in the well under the center tab. Can't tell you how many no-start GMs I've had towed in because of arc-thru. The wider the spark plug gap the quicker the arc-thru. A lot of engines had an .080 plug gap and they were the most susceptible.
Thanks for the photos. It does appear yours has a longer shaft. I set mine in the block and remember having about the same clearance you saw. I'll have to check more closely when I'm back at the truck. CBeav, thanks for the tip! The only intention of messing with this distributor was to hopefully get another step in reliability, not a step backwards.
12-20-2016, 07:54 PM
