Wobbly dist—hard to disgnose/fix?

[dan]

Hey all,

I’m back in the market for an A to replace the one I sold when I left CA for McPherson colleges auto restoration program. I saw one today that I liked ok, but its distributor was wobbling something fierce. Probably moving 1/4 in in each direction as the shaft turned. All I could think of was a stand mixer trying to stir too much dough.

Ideas on how it might be to fix/causes?

[J Franklin]

It must have a bent or stuck shaft. It shouldn't be an expensive fix.

[Randall]

this might give you an idea of what it's doing if it's the shaft, if the whole dist. is moving need to check dist. lockdown
https://youtu.be/sAImvK8dnl4?si=ff9fiWIBL1FXnnKT

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Randall

this might give you an idea of what it's doing if it's the shaft, if the whole dist. is moving need to check dist. lockdown
https://youtu.be/sAImvK8dnl4?si=ff9fiWIBL1FXnnKT

Good video, Randall. Do you have any issues with the 'Modern' lower plate?

[Randall]

Thanks Y Blockhead,No I've not had any problems

[katy]

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If the whole distributor is wobbling, I would suspect that either the distributor body or the opening in the head are worn, or both.

[Brentwood Bob]

Top of the driver clogged up with debris, may have too long a shaft, and as mentioned above, fixable.

[CT Jack]

Randall's video is a good reference. If I had a distributor like that my plan would be to rebuild it completely. In fact, you might want to inspect the distributor casting to make sure there are no cracks. The rotor shaft bushings definitely need to be replaced. I would use the 2 shaft arrangement and make certain they fit correctly axially. The plastic distributor body needs to fit properly without any wobble. The gaps between the rotor conductor and the 4 internal spark plug contacts should not exceed .025" and no less than 0".