1981 ford bronco issues

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Sep 26, 2010 | 02:02 PM

blackbettybronco

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1981 ford bronco issues

rebuilt the motor installeda new cam, motor is a 1979 block. i dont know if its a 351m or a 400. nobody told me and i dont know how to tell the difference. anyways, everything went together okay, went to go put the distributor in and it sits all the way down in there but the teeth do not cath on the cam. why? anybody have any ideas?

Sep 27, 2010 | 02:35 PM

LxMan1

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Sounds like you may have the wrong distributor. Maybe one for a 351W instead od a 351m/400?

Sep 27, 2010 | 08:18 PM

danlee

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Is it the original distributor, a replacement or an aftermarket? You can replace the gear on a 351W distributor with one that fits a 335 series, or 385 series motor.

Sep 28, 2010 | 04:25 AM

grclark351

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a Windsor gear is 1.249" or just about 1 1/4"

a Cleveland gear is 1.421" or between 1 3/8" and 1 1/2"

the gear needs to be installed VERY correctly or you can destroy the gear on the cam
http://www.fordracingparts.com/downl...tM-12390-A.pdf

Sep 28, 2010 | 06:22 PM

blackbettybronco

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well it had an aftermarket cam and i wentback to stock when i rebuilt the motor. i tried a distributor from a 351w and it wasa no go. 351m and 400 have same part number for cam and distributor. the distributor slades all the way down into place, but the teeth dont catch, so what should i try do you guys think? get a 351m/400 distributor and swap the gear? what do i swap it to?

Sep 28, 2010 | 06:31 PM

danlee

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How do you know that the teeth don't catch?

Is it the distributor that came out of the motor?

Sep 28, 2010 | 06:35 PM

blackbettybronco

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no because my module went bad so i changed my distributor. so about a ile down the road it backfired and stopped. so i went back to my house and it wore the teeth off the distributor AND the cam. so i got a stock camshaft and installed it. i got a 400 distributor and went to put it in. i can feel it go all the way in. it sits in place but i can still spin the rotor 360 degrees around.

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Sep 28, 2010 | 06:50 PM

blackbettybronco

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i dont know what that is, but the gear is tight on the shaft. im sure about that.

Sep 28, 2010 | 06:59 PM

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grclark351

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From: chicago burbs

Quote:

Originally Posted by grclark351

a Windsor gear is 1.249" or just about 1 1/4"

a Cleveland gear is 1.421" or between 1 3/8" and 1 1/2"

maybe measure the gear? and notice if the roll pin that holds it in place on the shaft is there and intact... the pin can shear internally and still look like it's OK but sometimes it's not. if it's a new/rebuilt dizzy i'd expect that it's OK but ya never know