Re: Distributor Installation???

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2015/7/25 22:39:34

Packard 1948, I'm really surprised your search did not give you the info you need as this has been commented on and commented on many, many times. Perhaps searching on "ignition timing" would have been more fruitful that "distributor".

Yes, sure it would be nice to have the position of your plug wires the same as when the engine was factory-assembled, but you can achieve correct ignition regardless of the position of the distributor drive shaft, or the mating of the oil pump gear to the camshaft if you're willing to walk the wires around the cap to new positions. It's back to pure basics; put #1 cylinder on the timing mark (or TDC) on the COMPRESSION stroke and then note the position of the rotor tip. If it's directly under a plug wire tower on the cap, then plug wire #1 goes there and the rest around the cap in firing order. If the rotor is not quite under a tower just rotate the distributor body until it is so. Yes, it's quite possible that the vacuum advance will not be in quite the exact same position but you will achieve correct timing.

If you really want to have the #1 plug wire a 7 PM then you'll have to remove and reinstall the oil pump until you find the gear position that achieves that.