Removing a distributor from a 212

I need to replace the distributor in my 47 Commodore 6. How do I get the old one out?

Comments

  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Just undo the bolt holding the clamp to the head and lift it out.
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    But be careful!  My '37 (212) has just a spiral gear at the bottom of the shaft.  Once you pull the distributor, you can replace it in a number of positions.  Maybe Hudson remedied this in the 40's (and I'm sure someone will jump in here to tell us!).  But just to be on the safe side, pop the cap off and note the position of the rotor before you remove the distributor.  Mark its position with some chalk on the rim of the distributor body.  Then when you lower the distributor back into place you will see whether or not the rotor will be in the same position. If it isn't, just pull it out, rotate the shaft so the spiral gear will mesh with the next gear over on the camshaft, and push it back down.  Do this until the rotor aligns with the chalk mark you made.
  • I got the distributor out. The distributor itself slips into another long cast piece with a shaft with a spiral gear on the end. I can't get the distributor out of that piece. I can't see anything holding it into it. Ive got another distributor. when I get off work I'll work on it some more.
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I'm a little confused.  This is what you should be looking at, when you remove it:


  • That part is stuck inside of a long cast housing that the shaft with the spiral gear is in. I had to remove it all and can't get that part out. I have another good one of those already, I just need to get the old one out
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Oops, sorry, I assumed it was the same mounting on a '47.  But of course, being on top of the block the distributor shaft has to be longer to reach the camshaft than it does on the pre-war (sidemount) type.
  • I got it out. Maybe I'll be on the road again by tonight. Got dark on me last night. The shaft had so much play that setting the points was impossible. I bet there is at least .025-.035" play in the shaft. Could set them open and they would never close, closed and they would never open. It might or might not start. Hopefully this fixes it. I've got another good distributor.
  • Got it back running. Got dark before I got it completely finished but I'll be good to go tomorrow.