Technical How do you stab the distributor on an FE?

Yep, the strange part is they're both are on the same hand.

 

I got lucky once and it dropped in. After that,I had to get the distributor in as far as possible,then grab the fan blade to turn the crank the little extra to drop the rest of the way. Always check the timing again after.

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Usually a little grease will hold the hex shaft in the middle of the hole. I always leave the intake slightly loose on an FE when I stab the distributor the first time.
I have had to break more than one of them because the intake was tightened slightly off center of the dist hole and the dist gets bound up in the intake. Former Ford line mechanic.
You ever pick the whole motor up by the distributor with a cherry picker because the distributor won't come out. Or take the intake off with the distributor still in the intake.

 

Get everything lined up and stab the distributer, then bump the motor over and let it drop into place.

 

"You ever pick the whole motor up by the distributor with a cherry picker because the distributor won't come out. Or take the intake off with the distributor still in the intake."


Yeah...and one day at work while trying to fire a 390 on an engine cart, I found a bad distributor and was working it back and forth. What I didn't know is my helper had flooded the engine badly, trying to get it started.
As I got the distributor to come up, it finally cleared the intake but I'd left battery current going to the coil...made a little spark between distributor and intake with a pan full of gasoline.
BOOOOM!!!!! The distributor was propelled straight up, missing my nose by 1/4 inch and taking my hat off. The thing continued upward and went THROUGH the roof of the old barn, converted to an engine shop. Never saw it again, either. Might still be up on that roof. Or maybe in the Columbia river with the drive shaft to my 68 GTO...a story for another time.

 

"It's a bimb. Were you expecting one?"

 

With a remark like that he may use only one finger for your reply!

 

One end of the shaft is sharpened for this reason . Look at both ends of the shaft , one is pointer than the other pointy end up ! I know that's what she says too ! As stated , hold down and rotate it will drop in easily .


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Did what Pist-n-Broke suggested this morning on my son's 360 FE. WOW, works like bread n butter. Thanks ...

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... and aftermarket intakes can be even more troublesome than the factory behemoth!

 

Silicone the shaft to the distributor then drop in the whole thing;-)

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Aaaahh, You may not want to try this even though it sounds simple. Reason being, you still need to engage the Hex in the Oil pump. Same issue only larger in that the drive shaft is no longer contained, the target has No guide system and if it lets go it goes clear past the pump. If the shaft drops out now you need to drop the pan being the crankshaft will scoop up the shaft and make a Pretzel out of it. You also have no way to know if you actually got it in the pump till you light it up and have no Oil pressure.
One thing I NEVER do is give advice that I haven't proven myself will work.
Davereeves have you ever actually done this?
The Wizzard

 

I found a pretzeled oil pump drive shaft in the pan of FE I bought....a few years later I found out they end up there.....

 

Yes I have done this, No problem, just lucky I guess ---(BETTER TO BE LUCKY THAN GOOD) ;-)

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Think if I had to, I'd use some grease...grease won't plug up oil passages, little balls of silicone would.

 

I was a line mechanic for Ford and also worked on Uhaul trucks with FE motors and a little grease around the dizzy shaft held it center while the distributor was dropped in. Never a problem with the grease plugging anything up. Silicone is a big no no. A silicone ball can get between the oil pump gears and lock. Twisting the oil shaft off or shearing the pin in the dist. I had to redo another so called mechanics screw up because of that exact problem.

 

Since the engine is tilted in the Mysterion, the grease trick isn't working too well - how about something harder like a ball of bread?

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I don't know how old you are but nowadays there are little pills to help with that.

 

and the reason I have a starter "bump switch" under the hood.