The answer to your question is yes, the drive gear can be inserted
incorrectly in any one of six or eight positions, and the distributor will
have to be rotated to the correct position before it can be fully inserted,
and then the plug leads won't come from the usual position as indicated by a
clock face. But if the drive gear is wrong *all* distributors would have to
be inserted with the drive shaft in the same orientation, it shouldn't vary.
Of course if one or more of the distributors has been reassembled
incorrectly and is itself 180 degrees out then the *rotor* will be 180
degrees out even though the drive dog is correct. And the rotor and hence
the drive dog can be pointing in any one of an infinite number of directions
relative to the distributor body which would explain why the distributor
*body* on one was 1/4 inch different to another, but the drive dog would
have been the same relative to the engine.
If the distributor body isn't flush with the clamp plate when the clamp
plate is bolted down to the block then it isn't seated properly, even if it
is in the correct position. Tightening the clamp plate like this can damage
the distributor body (as can over-tightening) such that even when it *is*
fully seated it will jump out in use. At which point the body is scrap.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
From: "bernd" <bernd.vabeach@erols.com>
To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: How to misalign a distributor
> if we take the presumption that the distributor has not been rebuild or
> rebuild and not been reassembled incorrectly does the theory still applies
> that the "dog drive" can be inserted wrong?. I noticed on mine the same
> thing Dennis experienced, one of my distributors will not seat completely
> into the distributor housing (about a quarter inch out), while a earlier
> model distributor will fit flush into the housing
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