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Ernie, thanks for thinking about it but no, there is no second clamp.

Don, I suggest you read the shop manual's instructions for dropping the lil pan. IIRC you also have to remove the starter motor.

Not a dumb question but no, just a single clamp which was removed and I can turn the distributor around freely but in and out only a very tiny amount.

Don:

I also have no experience on V-8 Packards, but the lack of experience hasn’t stopped me from pontificating in the past, so here’s my 2 cents. Being able to rotate the distributor housing freely at the same time of having limited or no vertical movement suggests an obstruction at the lower pilot.

First possible cause: This obstruction may be nothing more than a well-aged oil residue. If this is the cause I would try to get some chemical cleaner into the area between the two pilot diameters. The cut-away in the shop manual suggests a gasket is used (much like the SBC) that would impede getting a lot of cleaner into the suspected area, but if there is just enough vertical movement to defeat the gasket it’s worth a shot. If you have a few ‘air wedges’ perhaps those could be used to put sustained upward force on the problem while the chemical is doing its magic.

Second possible cause: In the cut-away drawing it looks like the distributor might (emphasis on might) wear a grove in the block (you wouldn’t need a lot of wear to create the difficulty lifting the distributor housing), and if this is the case the wear would be out-board away from the camshaft. Pushing the distributor ‘top’ out-board before you try lifting might (again emphasis on might) allow the lower pilot of the distributor housing to disengage from whatever is holding it. I might try a few soft blows with a rubber mallet to convince the top of the distributor to move. Lifting and striking lightly might help if this is the cause of the problem.

dp

All good advice and, while I've owned this car for many decades, this is the first I've actually worked on it. I used a whole can of PBlaster on it, rotating and lifting as much as it will go go while spraying and if there is still a gasket, I can't see it there.

Whatever is keeping it from lifting out feels solid rather that some build-up sort of build-up, but if that's what it is, it has hardened considerably! There is a noticeable clunk sound which to my poor ears sounds metal to metal when pulled up.

Quote:

Thank you Dave (Owen_Dyneto). I did scroll through the PDF of the manual a couple days ago but it was a quick glance as it seemed to show all the work with the engine removed. Perhaps it's not in the Engine section but somewhere else. In any event, I really can't get at it well enough to do it on the ground so it will have to be put off for a while until the lift is available.

Don:

Third possible cause:

Whether the distributor or oil pump is the component that has the camshaft mating gear, there will still be some type of a slip joint between the two. I have never seen a lot of wear or distress at a ‘screwdriver’ slip joint, and when there was wear the joint was never frozen. It sounds like you’ve already resigned yourself to removing the pan. If something is inhibiting the slip join the oil pump won’t come off either. If the oil pump can be removed, at least both ends of the distributor are accessible, and you’re a lot closer to understanding why the distributor is so reluctant.

dp

Good point that I hadn’t thought of! As the oil pump is inside the pan on the V8 Packards, I’ll still have to take the pan off but it’s something specific to look for. The diving gear on this is on the distributor.

Nothing to these dist

Its either stuck on cam shaft.

Or the oil pump shaft


What your feeling . is the play in the dist . or oil pump.

Your turning the dist body. On the dist shaft.

I'm turning the body but I also tried pulling it while cranking the engine.

Don, back to your comments about dropping the oil pan, the instructions for removing the pan with the engine in the car are in the shop manual, Section IX (Engine), bottom of page 14. And yes, the starter motor needs to be removed as well as the lower section of the flywheel cover and parts of the exhaust system, depending on whether single or dual.