HEI Distributor question

[68_Step]

I am on the process of rebuilding an HEI distributor. Took it completely apart and there was a clear plastic cover over the grease well - thing was so dirty I did not know it was there. So I poked a screwdriver thru it as I was cleaning it out. It is not in the rebuild kit. Is it something I need to replace? What do I call it?

Question 2: directly above the grease well there was a "coil" with 2 wires and plug. The wires are worn thru the insulation where they connect to the "coil" (what is it called?). I am guessing that it needs to be replaced. Is that something I can get at O'Reilly's or Auto zone?

[Wrenchbender Ret]

You don't need the grease well. Just put a little grease were the pickup coil rides. That is called a pickup coil. You must replace it if it is in that bad of shape. It is about the second most cause for failures.
I have some new pickup coils. I can sell you one cheap.
George

[bigmac73]

do not get offended, but I would have just went down to NAPA and bought another dist, or upgraded to an aftermarket,
Unless you are just wanting the rebuild experience, to me it is not worth the time to completely do an overhaul when they are cheaply replaced these days

[68_Step]

Originally Posted by bigmac73

Unless you are just wanting the rebuild experience

For me the best way to learn how something works is to take it apart and hopefully put it back together. The rebuild experience is exactly what I am looking for. Sigh, I wish I had a NAPA nearby...

[michael bustamante]

Yup thats how i learned about dist. Too.

[71K20chevy]

Originally Posted by bigmac73

do not get offended, but I would have just went down to NAPA and bought another dist, or upgraded to an aftermarket,
Unless you are just wanting the rebuild experience, to me it is not worth the time to completely do an overhaul when they are cheaply replaced these days

Keep in mind though aftermarket parts aren't always what they're cracked up to be. Nothing beats original GM parts in terms of reliability!

[68_Step]

Originally Posted by bigmac73

do not get offended

No offense taken. If I had been in a hurry I probably would have headed to the parts store.

[68_Step]

Is this how the capacitor mounts? It does not seem to fit in the square recess below it. Looks like I will deform the aluminum strip that goes around it. Is that correct?