216 or 261 Distributor in a 235?

I recently picked up a '54 235 and with it I received a distributor (#1112392) which seems to be from a 1954 261. The camshaft (#3833890) is also from a '54 261. In addition I have a distributor (#1112353) from my 216 (R.I.P.).

I plan on using the pertronix set up to eliminate the points and condenser, the pertronix part numbers for both the 216 and the 261 distributors are the same.

My question is... Can I use the 216 distributor in this engine? The main reason I want to use it is because I have already rebuilt it and the 261 distributor is a mess.

Any help would be appreciated. -Keith

 

All 216s had forged steel camshafts, with a corresponding distributor gear. If your camshaft is cast iron and you run a distributor with a gear that is compatible with a steel cam, you may be in for wear problems.

 

That was my major concern. So after a little more research (see below picture) it looks like I have a cast cam (wide gear) but both of the distributors have steel gears (Type A). So... are there gears available for the distributor (swap out the steel gear) and then would there be a problem using the 216 distributor with the proper gear?

 

I'd ask www.joehuntmagnetos.com They are a treasure trove of tech information and I'll bet they can help you. I have an old Spaulding Flame Thrower in a 216 and a Vertex on a 261 Chevy. They keep both up for me and the shaft drives on mine have been no problem that I can detect. Both come back from them in like new condition.
Normbc9

 

I ran a 1952 216 dizzy in a 1955 235 and it worked ok but was much more responsive when I swapped it for one that came out of a 1956 261. The mechanical advance curves are a bit different for each application.