Thank you Wrench and Boss for your replies. The dizzy is the same one that came out. The manifold is the same type that came out,(stock) just ported. The dizzy went down ok, It turned clockwise as it should. It ended up in the same spot as it was. It just lacks one half inch ( 1/2") from being down as it should. Motor wasn't turned over, or moved. Just to be safe, I'll take it out and start over. Now I wonder if the rotor is in the same spot or just close? Thank You, Larry Breen
I'll assume that the engine hasn't been moved/turned/bumped after the distributor was removed.
There are couple of things that have to be installed correctly AND there are a couple of ways to accomplish that.
First, the rotor has to be aligned with the mark you made before you removed the dist. Here's what happens:
You mark the spot where the rotor is pointing BEFORE pulling the dist., but as you remove the dist, the gear turns on the dist AND the oil pump rod/dist lose their index. So when you attempt to re-install the dist, they no longer align and the dist won't drop all the way down flush, since they no longer align correctly. No biggie.
The second thing is the plug connector part of the dist cap has to end up pointing close to where it was BEFORE the distributor was removed. If it's off too far, you'll be limited as to how much the dist can be turned when setting the initial timing with your timing light. Many times the plug connector part of the dist cap will hit either the firewall or the plenum and not allow the timing to be correctly set because you won't be able to turn the dist enough.
Two ways to correct this:
One is to use a long screw-driver, insert it into the dist hole to index with the oil pump drive rod. Then turn the rod enough to allow the dist to drop in all the way down and flush with the intake. This is pretty much a trial and error method and may take a few times to get the rod positioned correctly.
The second way is to drop the dist down so that the rotor tip aligns with the mark you made AND the cap connector location is pointing where it should; around 3 o'clock viewed while standing in front of the engine. Then BUMP the engine with the starter. At some point during the BUMPING, the dist will drop all the way down. I place my hand on the dist cap, applying very light pressure to prevent the distributor from jumping UP. This is the method I usually use.
Either way, you'll need to check and adjust the initial timing with a timing light. 6* BTDC is the stock setting.
Hope this helps.
Jake
