Technical Question on adapting Chevy style distributor for a flathead

I have done a couple of the conversions and am looking at how to get oil to the lower bushing of the distributor. How do you do it?

The original Ford distributors had an oblong hole in the housing but do not see how the oil would get to it. On the timing cover there is a hole that could let oil into the distributor but the Ford distributor hole does not line up with it.

Is a hole needed to get oil to the lower bushing? Will the bushing get oiled from the oil hitting the distributor gear and move up the shaft? What do others do?

Thanks. Neal

 

i assume you're talking about the early 8ba type with the full-length distributor body. ones i've seen have that oil hole about halfway up the shaft housing, and i think it is lubricated by oil slung off the timing gear. during 1950, this changed to an exposed shaft. an aluminum timing cover was used that had a "tab" with a hole in it for the bottom of the shaft to register in. the shaft on the newer style extended below the drive gear. hope that's some help.

 

I just drill a new hole in the side of the dizzy housing above the lower bushing this allows oil vapor and film to get down to the bushing. It works perfectly I have many thousands of miles on my converted dizzy with no lower bushing wear or failures.

 

I have an aluminum timing cover that had '53 written on it. I am assuming that it was from a Mercury. That cover does not have the lower support. I don't know if it is the same as the cast iron covers that the Ford's had but the oil hole in the Ford distributor won't do much good in the aluminum cover. I will post a picture.

Neal

 

Here is a picture. The Ford distributor setting above the aluminum timing cover. As you see, the holes do not line up. I do not see how the oil gets to the lower bushing by that hole.

Are the cast iron covers different?

Neal

 

i have one that has 2 spots for the pointer on the front, listing 8rt and 8ba. it has the lower support

not mine but an example:

 

I have that style from a 1950 Mercury. Guessing they are found on other Mercury's, probably '49 and '51. It uses a different distributor with the shaft extending past the distributor gear. The other style distributor will not fit in this style cover.

I have been looking at pictures of cast iron timing covers and see the hole in them is similar to the aluminum one that I posted. I still do not see how the bushing is oiled other than being splashed up from the bottom.

Neal

 

The distributor turns at 1/2 crankshaft speed and is very lightly loaded. My guess is that it doesn't need much more than a film from the oil vapor, probably not necessary to have a continuous flow. A running and warmed up engine will not have any place inside that doesn't get covered with oil, some of it only from vapor.