Before proceeding, I have a couple of questions regarding fitment, lubrication, and wiring to ensure I won't screw things up too severely. Working on my 1972 F250 with 360. Photos below for reference.

Replacing points distributor and coil, which had been functioning well but burned out when I accidentally left ignition in 'on' position overnight, with Pertronix D133700 Flame-Thrower Plug and Play Vacuum Advance Black Cap Billet Electronic Distributor with Ignitor II Technology for Ford FE 352-428 and PerTronix 45011 Flame-Thrower II 45,000 Volt 0.6 ohm Coil.

The new unit is taller than the stock distributor but doesn't seem to fit down flush with the surface of the block when testing fitment compared to the stock unit. Upon insertion, it engages the gear and turns the rotor back to the original position I marked before removing the stock unit. Still, I wasn't sure if it was fully seated based on the ~1/8" lip it shows relative to what the stock unit had. I've finagled with it a lot, and it doesn't seem interested in getting further down in there. That said, I believe that being seated fully is instrumental in driving the oil pump, so I'd like to make sure I'm confident I've done it correctly and/or can quickly diagnose if there is a problem.

Next, before the final installation, I read conflicting things about the ideal way to lubricate the gear, ranging from simple motor oil to assembly lube, etc. Any recommendations here would be appreciated.

Last, I know I need to rewire the connection to the coil to get a constant 12V of keyed power rather than the current 6V provided by the resistor wire. I know this should be simple, but I have virtually no experience with electrical in automotive applications, and it's somewhat intimidating. After testing voltages, I found an unused female end of a green wire coming through the dash that provides a constant 12V of keyed power that I thought I could use for this purpose. After sleeping on it, I'm pretty sure this was originally used for wiring to a trailer by PO. Now, this truck's trailering days are behind her, so I'm not worried about losing that functionality, but I also think there could be an issue with the wire if it were used for trailer lights previously. Could voltage delivery impacted when brakes are depressed? Anyway, it was probably a stupid plan to begin with. If there is a recommended way to tap into the system for a keyed 12V to the coil, I'm certainly open to it. I'm looking for relative simplicity and reliability, not necessarily the cleanest-looking option.

Thanks as always, FTE.


New Pertronix distributor next to stock distributor.



Stock distributor installed.



Pertronix distributor installed showing the lip.



Unused green wire referenced above.

 

Are you sure the oil pump drive shaft is going into the new dist.?
Are they the same size for the shaft?
If the new is for say 5/16 shaft and the old if 3/8 shaft it will not fit.

If you can buy a small thing of assembly lube would be nice but motor oil would work too.
I have Vasoline I used for packing oil pumps so I would use that in my case.

On the wiring part of the problem will be you have to have power to the dist. in both crank / start and run.
That wire you found may not have power in crank / start.
You would be best to wire in a relay and use the 6 volt wire to trigger the relay.
You can find how to wire this on line.

Got to ask why didnt you just get the kit that replaces the points in your old dist.?
Pop the points out the kit in and wire up and done.
It would have been cheaper and you know the old dist. fits.
Dave ----

 

That wire you references should work fine. I use it for electric choke on my truck. No issues and is a keyed 12v.

 

But dose it have power when key is turned to start?
The coil needs power both when the motor is cranking and running.
The IGN will only power somethings in start like the coil and only thing (most all other things) in run.
Now the truck is wired to power the coil at both time not just run or the truck would never start.

Dont believe me put a test light on that wire.
You already know it has power in run now try starting it what happens to the light?
I would be happy to say I am wrong if I am.

BTW it would work great for the choke as the wire has power when running when the choke needs power to open unlike a coil that needs power all the time to work.
Dave ----

 

Still working on this? From the pictures, it looks fully installed to me. At least from here on the other side of the screen!
Other than the flange seeming to sit higher, does it actually seem to be contacting the block surface?
Are the block surface and the bottom of the distributor flange clean?
Can you easily wobble it around? If not, it probably is seated.

One of the issues when installing new distributors is aligning the oil pump shaft.
Yes, your old one may go right in, but if the new shaft (even with a stock replacement part) is machined slightly differently in the female hex department, you may have to rotate the engine slightly by hand to get it to go that last little bit.
To see if this is the case, put a big socket and ratchet on the crank bolt inside the crank pulley, and turn the engine slightly by hand, while pushing down on the distributor.
Your description indicates that the gear is engaged, but turning the engine will turn that gear and shaft slightly, and might do that last bit of alignment with the pump shaft.
Even if it looks installed, this little extra bit of work might prove it one way or the other

 

I think you MAY have the wrong Pertronix dist.
There is a collar that is bigger on the Pertronix & part of the body is thicker & bigger .
I am no where near an expert , but I have slept at a Holiday Inn......... & installed 1 Pertronix dist on my 302 Windsor & it seems to work great !!!
You should have some instructions for the wiring !!!
What I remember is you can use the same coil wire as old dist. IF you use a relay for the install
Relay will also give some circuit protection I think & not very expensive
Pertronix has a tech line

 

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There is nothing wrong with the install. It is sitting up a little higher because of the new seal. Too much speculation going on here.

 

I did not know we had a rule/limit of speculation ... I apologize if I broke a rule.........
My Pertronix did not come with a seal . I may be wrong but I do not remember my old dist. having a gasket .
I also do not remember if my Pertronix came with a gasket or if I installed one or not. I have been watching for any leak .
I mentioned Pertronix tech line to help the man find professional help & not ( as you say , speculation ) .
My limited engine skills expect the distributor should fit tightly against engine with or without a thin gasket . Any gap would concern me also

 

Well you's guy's eyes are better than mine then. I still can't see a gap in the pictures supplied. In the side-by-side pic, it looks like the new unit is expected to use a gasket or seal, but I can't say from here that it's left a gap without it.
What are you all seeing?
Other than a really dirty engine that should have been cleaned better before even removing the original unit that is.
I think I mentioned it already, but I'll reiterate, when there's this much grunge built up around the distributor, it's very easy for some of it to find it's way into the area of the distributor seat and hold up progress that way too.
Looks like you did dislodge some of the caked on gunk during the process Dale. Did you also make sure that none of it was able to interfere with the new unit fully seating?

Paul

 

Post #1 shows the seal on the distributors.

 

That is rubber seals you see, we are talking of a paper gasket between the top flange of the dist. and the intake or timing cover seat.
Dave ----

 

Paper gasket??????????? Chevy uses a paper gasket on their dizzies, not Ford..

 

Thanks to all for the input; sorry for the delay in answering questions. Life got in the way of me being able to tackle this weekend. I was able to confirm a couple of things, though.

@FuzzFace2 - I confirmed the shaft sizes are identical, so luckily, that's not playing any role in prohibiting the distributor seating. I'll note that the shaft itself on the Pertronix distro is slightly larger, creating an optical illusion that the hex drive is smaller, causing me to curse upon initial inspection, but used an allen wrench to confirm the drive inserts are an exact match. I also appreciate you pointing out that keyed/run power sources don't necessarily equate to crank/start power sources. I've read up on how to install a relay, and that seems like the most simple and appropriate solution. Green wire may have worked, but I won't be able to settle that debate on this project.

@1TonBasecamp Thanks for the advice regarding using the socket and ratchet on the crank bolt inside the crank pulley to turn the engine slightly while pushing down on the distributor. I'm of the opinion now that it's likely fully seated, but this is cheap insurance to confirm. Also, you're 100% right about the fact I should have cleaned the engine before starting. As soon as I pulled out the first time, I regretted that amateur mistake. I was extra careful not to let any dirt or grime slide down, but really an unforced error and a teachable moment. Upon inspection, I don't think it's interfering with it sitting correctly, but it was a good thing to double-check.

Going to get the relay done ASAP then hopefully be able to report back that everything is working, god willing.

 

Something else to double check regarding the wiring. Meant to add my 3 cents before, but got sidetracked on the install aspect.
The relay is probably the best solution, but there are other ways around certain things.
On our trucks, I'm pretty sure that the Green w/red and Red w/green striped wires are the ONLY ones that automatically have power in both START and RUN, but NOT while in ACC.
This is important for not burning up your ignition in the future if you ever sit around listening to the radio for extended periods. As in, more than five minutes!

That other Blue wire you noted as being unused, would be an easy spot to get power, but it very likely might have power when in ACC too. But you can check that out.
If so, you do NOT want to use it. Besides, it probably does not have power in START, so it's more complicated to make it work anyway.
If you ever need to use a wire that does not have power in the START position, you can supplement that the same way Ford does, by utilizing the Brown wire from the "I" post of the starter relay/solenoid. This terminal gets 12v only when the starter is cranking. So it's a good spot to get power in START.
But at no other time...So it has to be used as a supplement only. Not by itself.

Regarding your choice of very low resistance coil however, are you sure this is the correct coil for your application? Maybe it was recommended if you KEEP the resistor wire?
If so, the standard resistor wire (shows as Red w/green under the hood) would still go to the positive side of the coil, but you'd still need to source a full 12v in START and RUN for the Pertronix unit inside the distributor.
Their instructions usually show you tapping into the coil positive and powering both from one wire, but this often is only good if there is no resistor wire.
Just brought that up as something else to double check. Coil resistance is an important aspect no matter what type of ignition you're using.
Maybe it's the correct coil because the insides of the distributor are the latest and greatest version of the Pertronix. But I have not kept up on all this like I should.

Various ways to wire up the relay (which is just a remote switch if you want to look at it that way).
Standard "Bosch Type" (or Hella, or whatever big name you see associated with them) have four terminals you'll be concerned with.

1. #30 will get power from the battery at all times. Source of your choice, but essentially it's powered all the time.
2. #87 will go to the component being powered. In this case the ignition components.
2a. #87A (if present) will not be used.
3. #85 is either your ground or your 12v switched. More often than not, the diagrams show it as the ground. So that's how I use them.
4. #86 will be your switched power from the key. Using whichever wire you choose, which in this case is probably the old Red w/green wire from the old ignition coil.

Is that basically how you had it figured from looking at instructions and videos?
If anyone else has a better way to connect it, by all means throw it out here.

Paul