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I have removed the cylinder block and striped the crank case of everything but the camshaft and distributor drive during my 384.8 rebuild. My problem is the camshaft and distributor drive are stuck. I will probably have to oven heat the aluminum crankcase to expand it to free the cam shaft. My questions are:
1. How does the distributer gear come out? It looks like there is a bushing below the cylinder block which retains it. Does the bushing screw out or is it a press fit to the aluminum crankcase?
2. Does the distributer drive gear have to be removed to remove the camshaft? (The motors manual does not mention that it has to be removed.)

Thanks for your expertise.

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You have removed the oil pump, right?

Yes, every thing is out of the crankcase but the cam and distributor drive gear.

Soak the thing liberally with Gumout then carefully tap the bottom side of the distributor gear with a bronze drift. This will push the drive housing out of the crankcase.

Usually they get frozen due to varnish.

The cam bearings are probably stuck as well so take your time. The rear cam bearing should be removed using using the drift method as well.

Note as well there are timing marks on those gears that need to matched during assembly. I used liquid paper to make things easier.

My crankcase has more corrosion than varnish. Thanks for letting me know how the gear is retained in the crankcase.

Dean