[stouchton]

Had a buddy at work tell me the distributor on a SBC should stick straight and perpendicular out of the motor (granted he is a Ford guy).

Can't say I payed attention to that in the past, but did look out of curiosity at mine last night and it is not straight. However, it is seated correctly and of course works - so I'm not sure where he got his observations from (or I got a severe problem....)

So... after a long winded intro... should the distributor on a sbc lean slightly towards the driver side when viewed from the front of the car?

[Vintage 68]

Originally Posted by stouchton

...

So... after a long winded intro... should the distributor on a sbc lean slightly towards the driver side when viewed from the front of the car?

Uhmmm -

The distributor bore is 90 degrees to the oil pan rails - so the installed distributor base should 'flat' to the engine plane when viewed from the front.
The bore center also runs in a straight line from the oil pump shaft (also 90 degrees to the pump body mount to the main bearing) alongside the cam.
If you think about it, the distributor would have to be 'flat' to avoid alignment issues with the oil pump drive

If your 'distributor' is "leaning" - you may want to check the cap and make sure it is correctly installed and seated

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by Vintage 68

Uhmmm -

If your 'distributor' is "leaning" - you may want to check the cap and make sure it is correctly installed and seated

Or check his motor mounts to make sure it's not the whole engine that's leaning......

[Fred Ficarra]

My money is on the cap.

[stouchton]

Thanks guys - got some things to check.

I did put a straight edge across the fenders and measure the drop to the valve covers. Don't remember the exact number, but it was within 1/4"" side to side.

I have normally had black distributor caps. The MSD I just put in is orange, so it stood out against the firewall (which is black).

I made real darn sure the distributor was down flush, but maybe the cap is indexed wrong!!

Thanks again

[Eleanor's Nemesis]

I think the guy is screwing with ya, trying to give ya a complex or something.

He is a Furd guy ya know.

I say fight fire with fire!

Turn the tables on him. Does he have a 302? If so then tell him your Chevy has 5 head bolts clamping each cylinder while his 'ol Henry only has 4.

Then look at him with some concern and tell him in a convincing way that every Furd 302 ever produced has cracked piston skirts after 30K miles or so due to the cylinders aren't long enough to prevent excessive wobble in the bottom of the hole. And this is true, btw.

Tell him he better pull his pistons to see if they are cracked and turn around and smile while you walk away.

[ZZ430DropTop67RS]

I hate to be contrary, but it does lean slightly to the driver's side.

I don't have the pic on this computer that shows it, but just look at an intake manifold without a distributor and you will see the seat is not level with the bottom.

[rojo]

Well I have to admit I've never noticed before but it does lean. Maybe more noticeable with a tall dist. like an MSD. So I went and looked at an old intake I have and Don is right, the mounting surface is not machined level with the intake. Also if you go to Summit and take a 360 degree view of a SBC oil pump you can see where the mounting surface is not 90 degrees to the shaft. Oh well.

[bilodeaulynn]

Originally Posted by Eleanor's Nemesis

I think the guy is screwing with ya, trying to give ya a complex or something.

Then look at him with some concern and tell him in a convincing way that every Furd 302 ever produced has cracked piston skirts after 30K miles or so due to the cylinders aren't long enough to prevent excessive wobble in the bottom of the hole. And this is true, btw.

Never tore down a 289 or 302 that didn't have cracked skitrs. Pathetic rod ratio.

[markw]

Yeah, it leans to clear the crankshaft...http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...lingCustom.jpg
This is a big block, the small block is the same.

[Steptoe]

I remember a very similar thread some years back along these lines

Not all is lost thu..
Got to put this line away for future reference thu lol

Tell him he better pull his pistons to see if they are cracked and turn around and smile while you walk away

[Fred Ficarra]

This thread is a hoax.

[stouchton]

I wish it was a hoax!! - I actually got worried that something bad happened during the distributor swap I will not admit to how many times I removed and re-installed thinking she just wasn't seating in the oil pump correctly.

I never noticed the Mallory or the Pertronix that preceded it leaning.

Appreciated the cross sectional print markw supplied, and confirmed with a nice picture on the web of a SBC with the same lean as mine (not easy to find a shot taken from the right angle to see it). It is subtle, but it is there.

Thanks again for the responses.

[Eleanor's Nemesis]

Originally Posted by Steptoe

I remember a very similar thread some years back along these lines

Not all is lost thu..
Got to put this line away for future reference thu lol

Glad you liked it Steps. Some good old fashioned psychological warfare amongst car buddies isn't such a bad thing.

[stouchton]

Problem is I need some Mopar ammo now....

He sold his mustang and now is looking for a Savoy to drop a MaxWedge into that is lying in his garage.