Nasty Little Distributor

[h0wb0y]

So, I recently came across an old 52 Chevy Panel in a barn - and after some brief conversation with the owner, I am setting out to help him restore it. It has been quite a while since I tore apart a motor. I used to do it so frequently growing up that I figured it would just all be how it used to be and I would remember everyone. I was wrong - I think - but either way, I could use some guidance.

I pulled the 283 out of the truck, and the motor seems to be frozen up. The owner swears it never seized due to overheating. I figured I would just pull everything apart and see for myself - because, with a SHOESTRING budget, it is this man's dream to see it running so he can drive it around the lake one last time... That's why I went from trying to possibly buy the thing to donating my time to this oldtimer.

When I got to the distributor, I took the bracket off that holds it in place, and I expected the distributor to turn one way and/or the other and then just pop out as I was turning and pulling upwards.

This did not happen at all. In fact, I have been at this thing with a can of PB Blaster several times a week, tapping with hammer as a spray and for about 5 minutes afterwards. It has been about a month now. Last Thursday, I took a pipe wrench to the expanded rings that are on the base of where the distributor sits on top of the manifold. I got a good bite in that shaft, but no movement either way.

Am I doing something terribly wrong here - like forgetting something? Or is there something quirky about a 283 that I don't know about? (I really only used to rebuild 350's every few weeks)

I have heard about some spray that chills the shaft with ammonia(?) in order for the rest of the lubricant to penetrate deeper. I am still looking for the stuff - but any help at all is much appreciated.

Thanks all!

[OrrieG]

283 you are right, take off the fork shaped retainer and it should turn about 1/4 turn CCW and pull up. It sound it is rusted to the manifold, or heaven forbid rusted or jammed up to the cam gear. Does the engine turn over, if it does then the distributor should also be rotating. I have never pulled an intake with a distrubutor attached, and do not know if you can because the dist sits at a slight angle. It would take three hands two to lift the manifold and one to turn the dist as you lift.

[h0wb0y]

Ugh. I was hoping to hear that there was some tricky connection to the cam or something. I definitely did not expect to hear that it may be rusted to the manifold - because I always thought that aluminum didn't rust.

The motor does not turn at all - which is making it a real pain. I can't get the transmission off either because I can't get to all of the flywheel bolts. That is the reason I was going to pull the entire motor apart immediately - so I could see what was going on in the cylinders. I figured I may be able to detach the pistons from the crank and tap the pistons loose with a wood block if they were just locked in there by some surface rust - or possibly water (but then I would assume the block would be trashed if the cylinder had been full of water for years).

I have not tried to take the manifold off with the distributor still in there.

I REALLY don't know much about properly using a torch - much less trying to heat the block up...

Anyone else have any thoughts on any of this?

[1project2many]

Don't be upset at the shoestring budget. I've been working with one for years.

If It's a 283 V8 (In a '52?) then the distributor and manifold can be removed together. The cam gear shape will force the distributor shaft to turn slightly on removal.

Is it a steel or aluminum distributor? Aluminum and iron (or steel) corrode when left in contact if moisture is present.You might try removing a few pushrods and peering down the holes at the lower part of the dizzy. If it's corroded in the block just above the cam then you've got some work ahead of you.

Can't recommend much on the torch without knowing something about intake and dizzy (steel, iron, aluminum?) Torch on cast iron used incorrectly can do damage. Does the rotor turn back and forth slightly or is it locked tight? Is it a points dizzy? Can the distributor be sacrificed?

Better yet, can you get a prybar on the flywheel teeth to work the crank back and forth? If there's no movement in the crank you might be better off looking for another engine. $500 doesn't usually get far if you start an engine rebuild.

[h0wb0y]

Oh - I am not upset by the shoestring budget - I just figured I would stress that because I really did not want to hear advice that suggested just to scrap it all if I didn't have to.

I have not looked up the stampings on the block - so I am not sure if it is original or not (I know - shame on me). But I suppose there cant be too much harm in trying to remove them together, right? As long as I don't really force anything I suppose.

I assumed it is an aluminum distributor - given the color and the fact that the pipe wrench dug in some deep gouges with not much effort at all.

Looks like I will be pulling the oil pan and all of the lower guts and trying to find signs of corrosion.

I worked with quite a few motors that had been sitting in fields outside in Wyoming for years at a time - and I never found one that had cancered any more than some mild boring and honing could not solve. Only the ones that had been run to the point of welding the pistons to the block were not fixable - but now you are scaring me a little.

There is NO turning this motor (even by attaching a little plate I fabbed up and attached to the front of the harmonic balancer.

The rotor does turn easily just a bit - maybe just like 1/2" clockwise - and when it does, I can see the part of the shaft under the rotor that looks like a nut raise up about 1/16" or 1/8" - as if it was on an upward spiral. Then it stops. If I let it go, it appears to be almost spring loaded and it returns to its original position. I really did not think that was a sign of anything - other that if I tried to turn that rotor much more I would snap it.

I am pretty sure it is points - because it definitely does not have HEI.

The distributor can be sacrificed if need be for the greater potential good of the engine.

[1project2many]

If the rotor moves and rises up some that means the shaft isn't seized in the body. That's good. The V8 Chevy that we know didn't appear until '55 so a 52 wouldn't have one originally. When aluminum corrodes next to steel the oxides it creates can put a huge amount of pressure on the aluminum part and can create a press fit. I'd try pulling intake and distributor then remove distributor shaft to loosen the distributor from the bottom side.

Wyoming is fairly dry country. Not sure about Kansas but out here an engine left to sit for just ten years can experience some pretty drastic corrosion from the humidity. Post pics if you get into it.

[mr48chev]

I'd just do as 1project2many suggested and unbolt the manifold and lift the manifold and distributor off as a unit. Then you can flip it over and PB it from the back side and see if that frees it up. His suggestions for taking care of a problem are usually pretty good and solid suggestions that tend to work.

[h0wb0y]

Thank you all very much for your experience and taking the time to reply. I will not be out to work on this until Thursday - but I will try to remove the manifold and distributor together and attempt to remove the stubburn dizzy from the back side - as suggested.

I will be posting pictures of it regardless of what happens.

I am going to hop over to the http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=335636 Thread to post pre-project and progress pictures.

Thanks again - and I will let everyone know what happens on Thursday.

[h0wb0y]

Disregard the last link - THIS is where the project progress thread is (because after visiting the "How About Some Pics" thread, I did not quite feel like this little project is worthy of that thread yet)... Let me know what you think anytime.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=638334

[mr48chev]

It's probatbly ticked off that you called something wimpy like a "dizzy" when it's proper name is 'distributor". I don't know where the dizzy crap got started but that is one of the silliest things I see grown men write on car and truck boards.

[1project2many]

t's probatbly ticked off that you called something wimpy like a "dizzy" when it's proper name is 'distributor". I don't know where the dizzy crap got started but that is one of the silliest things I see grown men write on car and truck boards.

lol... it's one of the nicknames I use most. I started using it because I used to type dis to save time but then GM made a distributorless system called DIS. I help out with EFI swaps and EFI questions on a few boards and it's common for distributor and DIS questions to come up. So dizzy is shorter and easier to type than distributor, 'specially if it's going to be mentioned several times. Besides, you try spinning around over and over and see if you don't get dizzy.

[67GMCkid]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

It's probatbly ticked off that you called something wimpy like a "dizzy" when it's proper name is 'distributor". I don't know where the dizzy crap got started but that is one of the silliest things I see grown men write on car and truck boards.

Almost as bad as, Bonnet, Boot and Tyre... IIRC first time I ever seen Dizzy used was in the early days of the internet by European folks.

[h0wb0y]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

It's probatbly ticked off that you called something wimpy like a "dizzy" when it's proper name is 'distributor". I don't know where the dizzy crap got started but that is one of the silliest things I see grown men write on car and truck boards.

That is hilarious... I thought the same thing a while back - but, here I am using it - because it is just practical. I am all about function over fashion.

I thought the same thing about texting, GPS, and smart phones with internet when they were coming out (respectively) --- who would EVER need that garbage? But - again, here I am constantly using my phone to take pictures of this project, share it all with you wonderful people - and gaining all kinds of knowledge and help - in an instant, from the palm of my hand.

Dizzy = less typing and people are still fully clear about what I am referring to. I like that. (Even though it still eats my soul a little - bahaha)

[mr48chev]

Never saw or heard the reference by anyone be it customers or fellow mechanics in shops and dealerships or customers in the two parts houses and farm equipment dealership I worked the parts counter in but about 5 years ago it started showing up in use primarily by new guys to the hobby. It's just something that has bugged me every time I see it as it tells me that who ever is writing it probably doesn't know much about what he is writing about and is trying to sound like his idea of a real car guy hanging nicknames on parts rather than using the correct name.

[Russell Ashley]

Mr48, have you ever typed "tranny" to save a few keystrokes over typing transmission? It's the same thing, just saving keystrokes. I don't use either one in conversation but do use dizzy and tranny when typing in a post to save time.

[Speedbumpauto]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Never saw or heard the reference by anyone be it customers or fellow mechanics in shops and dealerships or customers in the two parts houses and farm equipment dealership I worked the parts counter in but about 5 years ago it started showing up in use primarily by new guys to the hobby. It's just something that has bugged me every time I see it as it tells me that who ever is writing it probably doesn't know much about what he is writing about and is trying to sound like his idea of a real car guy hanging nicknames on parts rather than using the correct name.

Even though I pretty much agree with your distaste for the abbreviation of the word, I think your low beer light must be on.

[h0wb0y]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Never saw or heard the reference by anyone be it customers or fellow mechanics in shops and dealerships or customers in the two parts houses and farm equipment dealership I worked the parts counter in but about 5 years ago it started showing up in use primarily by new guys to the hobby. It's just something that has bugged me every time I see it as it tells me that who ever is writing it probably doesn't know much about what he is writing about and is trying to sound like his idea of a real car guy hanging nicknames on parts rather than using the correct name.

Does it bug you when people say or type "Caddy" instead of Cadillac as well?

[h0wb0y]

Hey everyone -

I got the nasty little distributor out!

I tried to pull it with the manifold - but this did not work. So, I just kept trying various combinations of soaking everything in PB Blaster and tapping away with a ballpeen hammer. Finally, I broke out the biggest pipe wrench I had (because my smaller ones just would not get a good bite) - and really started torquing on the stubborn little thing. It finally gave way and I was able to see the gap expand in between the collar and the manifold. A few quick taps upward, and it popped right out. The manifold came off no problem right after.

The shaft was pretty chewed up afterwards.

I was so excited that the distributor did not end up winning, that I completely forgot to take pictures of it - but, trust me, they would not have been pretty.

Anyways - thank you for all the help with this one!

Problem solved!

[AZ59apacheguy]

Great job! I'm glad you got that " dizzy " out LOL