Restored my distributor

davepl · Poncho Master!

Restored my distributor

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Looks good.

I rebuilt the distributor on the LS4 454 in my convertible when I put the engine in. It's actually fairly straightforward, especially if the distributor shaft comes out without taking the bushing out with it. There's a couple things unique to the high performance distributors:
- an oil impregnated bronze bushing.
- the distributor shaft has additional grooves in it to assist in oiling.

I actually used chassis grease in the resevoir, and packed it in fairly good. I've got about 20,000 miles on the engine, so it seemed to work ok.

davepl · Poncho Master!

I used high pressure chassis lube as well. I soaked the felt washer in oil.

The distributor shaft did NOT come out easily, it was very corroded. I spent a long time with it on a wire wheel benchtop grinder cleaning it up. I didn't know they were "special" distributors!

-- Edited by davepl on Sunday 18th of February 2018 10:49:35 PM

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

buried in my room is a spare distributor shaft with the extra grooves for oiling. I'll dig it out and compare it to a standard shaft.

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

When you punched the shaft out of the housing, did it get stuck in the bushing and take the bushing out with it?

The standard bushings are kind of grey, the high perf bushings are copper colored, as indicated above they're oil impregnated bronze.

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Here's a photo I grabbed off ebay, I've circled the grooves of the high perf distributor shaft.

454 grooved distributor shaft and grooved outlilne.JPG

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

It's a good winter indoor job. I did one a few years ago. I bought a date/numbers one off eBay cheap and fiddled with it.

In '69 did they have the "numbers band" around the base of the housing?

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

in 69 they had the numbers stamped into the side of the housing, just below where the cap sits.

davepl · Poncho Master!

I don't recall the bands, but this is about as high perf as GM distributors got in the day, as far as I know. If you mean the bushing at the bottom of the housing down by the gear, that one is a brass color I'd say. The bushing didn't come out with the shaft though.

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

The bushing I'm referring to actually is right at the grease reservoir. Sometimes a build-up on the shaft makes the bushing come out when pushing the shaft up through the top of the housing. I'm going by memory, but the spring clip that's used to keep the breaker plate down actually goes into a groove in the top of the bushing.

davepl · Poncho Master!

Where the retaining clip/ring goes in is also bronze/brass looking. The washer didn't survive removal (seized up and rusted) but the bushing was OK.

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I should have looked at your before picture, I can see the bushing in place in the distributor housing (and it looks bronze). I can also see the distributor shaft laying there, but can't see if it has the grooves.

davepl · Poncho Master!

Here's a picture, had it out again yesterday. No extra grooves, but I'd argue that the L36, being the highest perf engine you could get, must be "high perf". Yet no fancy distributor shaft!

North · Guru

You're flying at low altitude!

davepl · Poncho Master!

Uh oh! But it's not me, it's a guy helping me out with it...