The camshaft is 180 degrees out so that #3 is now in the #1 firing order.

Problem is that the distributor lobes are 36 degrees off.

There is insufficient room to rotate the distributor and properly set the dwell

My first thought is to pull the distributor and rotate it 180 degrees so that it can be set up with proper dwell,etc.

I am afraid the distributor drive itself has an offset and will not allow me to do this...

I think its wise to ask the experts

Is this possible? Solutions? Your thoughts?

thanks in advance.

I had the same issue when getting a new-to-me engine going. Had to pull the distributor and align it 180 degrees from where it was.

In your title, you mean the distributor is 180 off, not the camshaft, correct?

The dizzy gear, which runs off the crankshaft, can be pulled and turned to the correct orientation.
You can cheat and move the plug wires 180 around, but the stock dizzy itself you can't because the vac can won't let you.

BTW the crank rotates 2X for every one time the cam rotates so every 2nd rotation of the crank the cam is "out" 180.

The easiest solution when you are 180 out is to rotate the plug wires 180 degrees. Back when my car had a dizzy, I ran it that way for years.


Super easy. Literally just swapping the plug wires to the other side of the dizzy.

Zach

what's the best way to pull the dizzy gear? magnet?

and regarding the shim at the bottom, how do I prevent it from falling off?

Use a magnet. The shim will probably not come off. But a dab of grease will keep it on for reassembly. Wiggle the fan a little if the gear does not come out easy.

But, seriously. Just swap the plug wires. Takes a minute and you should be running again. Your firing order is 1, 4, 3, 2. So take the 1 & 3 leads and swap them on the dizzy. then take the 4 and 2 leads and swap them at the dizzy.

Zach

thanks for the help.

The wires were swapped when I got the engine (that was the first hint).

But the giganto vacuum can will not allow the distributor to rotate enough to bring it within specs.

Thanks again.

I found an old drumstick that I cut the tip off worked really good to pull the distributor drive. I just pulled the spring out, and pushed in the hole in the drive gear, and there was enough friction to hold it in to pull it out.

Just be very careful with the washer that goes in before the drive gear. Most of the time it will stay in place without issue. It's possible to drop in into the case, and you don't want that.