Distributor housing cracks

[Pinesdune]

Hi guys. As a mid winter make work project I decided to rebuild a couple distributors as spares. So I gathered up five distributors, one completely stripped including the bushings. I disassembled the rest, sandblasted them, then proceeded to remove the bushings as the last step. When I removed the first set of bushings, my punch was a hair large, cracked the upper bushing area, so I grabbed a different smaller one and proceeded to remove the bushings from the bottom out through the top, the lower bushing collapsed inside the upper and cracked the housing (crap...two for two). The others came out no problem. The last housing was cracked upon inspection. My questions are, will brazing the crack be good enough, does it even matter for a spare distributor for under the seat, or are they junk (become part of my personal "learn to weld cast iron 101" course)




Saving iron from the scrap pile one piece at a time

[Tom Wesenberg]

The new bushing should hold fine even with the crack.

Did you remove the oil cup and run a small brush through that hole?
Lots of sand and crud will collect in that oil passage.

[Brentwood Bob]

IMHO scrap the cracked housings. I would not trust them. I have success by using a hacksaw blade to cut thru the bushing in several spots, then it will release. Just my solution.
Bob

[Bob C]

Here is a link to a Tom Endy article on distributor cracks and bushings.
http://www.santaanitaas.org/wp-conte...l-Aug-2013.pdf

Bob

[Keith True]

Screw a 3/8 pipe tap into the bushing to where it bites in,but is not biting into the housing.Reach in from the opposite end with a brass punch,and hit the bottom of the tap.The whole bushing will slide right out.Repeat on the other end.

[160B]

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Originally Posted by Keith True

Screw a 3/8 pipe tap into the bushing to where it bites in,but is not biting into the housing.Reach in from the opposite end with a brass punch,and hit the bottom of the tap.The whole bushing will slide right out.Repeat on the other end.

I have used this method numerous times successfully!!!

[Pinesdune]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

The new bushing should hold fine even with the crack.

Did you remove the oil cup and run a small brush through that hole?
Lots of sand and crud will collect in that oil passage.

No, I haven't removed the oil cups, I was planning on flushing them out but can just as easily remove them and wire brush them. Thanks for the tip Tom


Saving iron from the scrap pile one piece at a time

[Pinesdune]

Originally Posted by Bob C

Here is a link to a Tom Endy article on distributor cracks and bushings.
http://www.santaanitaas.org/wp-conte...l-Aug-2013.pdf

Bob

That's a good article. I'll bookmark it for future reference. Thank you, and thank everyone else for the tips for future.


Saving iron from the scrap pile one piece at a time

[George D]

I had the same problem recently, my solution was to turn the OD of the cracked area to .710" and down about .250".
Next a steel bushing was made ID .709" (light press fit) .750 OD .250 long. The steel bushing was then pressed onto distributor housing and OD turned to match upper point plate.
This repair will also remove any wear to the housing were the upper plate pivots making point adjustment very accurate. The whole job took about 1/2 hr and I made a few spare bushings for my kids to throw out many years from now.

[Art Newland]

Nice work George D.

[Tom Wesenberg]

George has the perfect solution to both problems.

[Mike V. Florida]

Brazing or silver solder if done correctly will work. There is not much outward force by the shaft.

[Art Newland]

It would be interesting to see if the crack opened up any with a new bushing in place. I put bushings in a couple distributors last summer and it took considerable force to install them. Pinesdune, do you have a lathe or someone that does? If you do maybe George D, would send you a sleeve or two before his kids throw them out.

[Pinesdune]

Originally Posted by Art Newland

It would be interesting to see if the crack opened up any with a new bushing in place. I put bushings in a couple distributors last summer and it took considerable force to install them. Pinesdune, do you have a lathe or someone that does? If you do maybe George D, would send you a sleeve or two before his kids throw them out.

No I don't have a lathe but I do know where I can get it milled if need be. I brazed the housings this morning and thought I'd try that first. I'll see if installing the new bushings opens it back up or not, the braze took very well on two of the three (the one that had been cracked a while didn't take easily, I honestly don't expect it to hold) . I'll post the results after I get the bushings installed. I really like George's fix, and if these open up, I'll put them away for when I get a lathe (I try and get myself a new "big" tool once every couple years [emoji41])


Saving iron from the scrap pile one piece at a time

[Pinesdune]

Well got the parts today, the two that I thought I brazed well, cracked, and the one that I thought would break, held. The other two without breaks took bushings fine and held . The cracks really opened up as shown in Tom Endy's article. If I get a lathe I'll try out George D's repair. Thanks for the replies


Saving iron from the scrap pile one piece at a time

[Tom Endy]

I don't know what the rest of the country is like, but here in California we have an abundance of swap meets during the year. I keep my eye open for distributor cores. Many are there because they are already cracked. For this reason I won't pay anymore than $5 or $6 piece for them, At a large swap meet like Turlock or San Diego I usually pick up a half a dozen or more. Sometimes I find some are already cracked when I get them apart as it is difficult to tell when they are still assembled.

I carefully remove the old bushings by splitting them. After degreasing, bead blasting, and painting, I install new bushings and ream them. A new shaft is installed, along with a new lower plate with the correct lower wire. I also install a new quality condenser. The oiler is easily removed with a small pair of channel locks and a twisting motion. A 1/4" drill bit inserted through the tunnel will easily push out all the crud.
From here the rest of the distributor can easily be assembled. I usually use used parts I have salvaged from all the cores I bought over the years. I usually don't make an effort to sell them, but if someone asks I sell them for $75. In the past I have taken them to a swap meet and set them up for sale for $75. One time a single buyer bought all I had. Now days most are given away to friends, or at club fundraisers. I always have a bunch of extras around.

If the cores are available at $5 of $6 it is not worth my time or effort to have someone machine them and install inserts.

Tom Endy