Tight Distributor caps
 

I just replaced the spark plug wires on my '37 Ford. I am having trouble getting the distributor caps back into the distributor body that they came out of. It's like the body shrunk or the caps got bigger. Do I ream out the body? Any advice would be appreciated.

Re: Tight Distributor caps
 

The inner and outer components can be a little tricky. The sticky points should be showing themselves as scuff marks on the plastic.

I think a little sandpaper on the spots that are binding will do the trick

Re: Tight Distributor caps
 

The inner caps as well as the distributor body tend to warp a bit. A simple "sanding" of the inner cap as has been previously advised, will do the trick.
This is very common...

Re: Tight Distributor caps
 

to cure this problem you will need to clearance the inner cap to fit the distributor body, the cause of this problem is the "swelling" of the soybean plastic that Ford used and the corrosion of the aluminum housing. I typically bead blast the housing to clean off the corrosion to help in the fit of the inner caps and have very carefully bead blasted the edges of the inner caps--saves sanding time.

Re: Tight Distributor caps
 

On the helmet style distributors, I always sand the outer diameter of the inner caps to give a nice/neat fit into the openings on both sides of the aluminum housing. This makes life a lot easier when it comes time to remove the distributor, because it's easier to flip the bail wire form off the outer cap, and remove both inner & outer caps as a unit, which allows the plug wire ends to remain plugged into the inner cap.

Re: Tight Distributor caps
 

Thanks. A little sanding and a little swearing and I got everything to fit. I think.