Technical Distributor set in question

i have a shop put in my hei distributor in my 455 olds engine... ive noticed that every 455 ive seen has that vac port on the passengers side not the drivers side.. is that a problem as long as the distributor is set top dead center? also the cap wasnt bolted down just left loose which i didnt notice till i towed it home..seemed abit lazy work..question on that when i put the cap on it does it have to be a certain way...and last question when i put the spark plug wireshow do they go

 

An HEI cap has a tab that allows it to only fit properly one way. Turn over the cap and you will see it. Look at the rim of the distributor body, and you will see a notch.

Any pole can be cylinder #1, as long as the rotor is pointing to it, when cylinder #1 is at Top Dead Center (TDC). Start your firing order from there.

 

Before you put the plug wires on you can rotate the housing until the vacuum canister is where it will work best, and then work from there. The rotor won't move, and the guidelines above still apply.

 

well if having that vac port on the wrong side than normal doesnt hurt im ok with it there as if i tryed to rotate the thing it would just hit the firewall or manifold before it let it go to the other side...its kinda stuck on that side..

 

Find out the rotation of the engine/distributor before connecting plug wires to the cap.

 

like this

 

If the vacuum advance is pointing off in the wrong direction, the cap can still be wired to run properly. The problem with it installed this way is that it may not have enough clearance with the firewall or intake to allow you to set the initial timing properly. If it were me, I'd put it back to O.E. specs and rewire the cap as necessary.

 

i think i will be giving a call to the shop tomorrow and telling them

 

It is not a big challenge to correct the position.

 

Gimpyshotrods they would have to lift it out though and turn it because you couldnt spin it around where its at it would hit something...but lifting it out and resetting its not too bad? let me know as i plan on calling tommorrow thanks...

 

Is the engine running?...just curious.

Now, don't know about Olds, but all Chevy engines I've played with have the vac advance on the other` side...that said,,,if the engine runs, and you can route the line to the canister...no harm, no foul...just doesn't look right, but can work just fine.

 

the engine isnt to the point of being able to test it so i can say if it works... i paid decent money and now i find out its on the wrong side...

 

Looking at your diagram the Olds dist is a counter clockwise rotation and a Chevy is clockwise. That means that the vac advance is supposed to be on the other side. In order to advance the timing the vacuum needs to pull the breaker plate the opposite direction of the rotation unless it's vacuum retard.

 

thats probibly it they thought of a chevy instead of a olds and put it where the other would be

 

They might not have known what side to put it on. This engine did not come in this car.

That, and it does not actually matter, only that it does hit anything.

Lifting it out and re-setting it is easy. The distributor gear pin drives the oil pump, so you do have to turn that to line it up, with a long flat-blade.

The engine should be set to TDC on cylinder #1 before you start.

 

well i paid $105 to drop it in and i think im gonna have it put where everyone has told me ..plus it does have have a bit more room to turn on the passengers side

 

one funny thing is this weekend a guy was picking up his daughter that was playing with my daughter and we got to talking as i was out in the garage...he looked at the engine from 12 feet away and said a olds huh? some people just know...im thinking the shop people need more training

 

they may have put it in 180 out because if it were in the correct way the vac adv would be hitting the firewall.

 

could be..i just went out and measured there is more turning space on the drivers side where the vac wont hit than the passengers side

 

a half of a inch more...i dont know how much is needed but one has 3 and a half and the other is 2 and a half

 

Just for adjustability sake, I would lift it out and turn it 180º.

That will give more room to adjust the timing.

 

i dont understand if i flip it 180 to the correct way on the passengers side there is a half inch less turning space.. when you say adjustability and there is less turning space is there something more to it that im missing here?

 

It looks like there is more room on the passenger side.

If there is more room on the driver side, bolt it down, and leave it there. Figure out where the rotor is pointing when the engine is at #1 TDC. That's the #1 pole. Put the plug wires on accordingly, and fire 'er up.

 

that stupid knob sticking up from the manifold at the 2 and a half inch area would stop the vac and the fire wall sticks out there too.. so the drivers side is more free to turn towards the firewall or to that stump on the manifold at the 3 and a half mark

 

i told them to put it in top dead center so if i just look at where its pionting i just put the spark plug on the cap right over it to #1 ? and go from there?

 

You got it!

 

thank you... you have been great help...i will just leave it there even though its not normal but it has more room to turn and get my spark plugs ordered and get to placing them thanks again

 

There is no normal in rods and customs. That's what makes them special.

 

In my opinion dialing that car in with that big honking HEI is going to be a major PIA. I would look into a stock (point sized) unit. That or either moving stuff around or "reshaping" some areas to get some clearance off that firewall.
That HEI might work out but I just don't see much adjustment. Try it and see, if not a smaller unit may work.