Alignment when installing distrbutor Super 55

[Old Fixer]

Because of a 10" steel channel from the front-end loader hiding the distributor, I had to pull it to replace the points. According to the manual, when replacing it, the slots down on the oil pump gear should be at 9 & 3 o'clock when the timing mark is on TDC for cylinder 1. The drawing (below) implies a high degree of precision on the 90° angle relative to the mounting holes. Mine is more like 8 & 2 o'clock, and I wonder if that matters. It must be the way it was when I pulled the distributor and I'm certainly not going to tear down the engine to see if the oil pump was aligned properly in the past.

I'd appreciate comments, especially whether this will align it close enough to get the engine started and then timed.

 

[mkuhns]

Because of a 10" steel channel from the front-end loader hiding the distributor, I had to pull it to replace the points. According to the manual, when replacing it, the slots down on the oil pump gear should be at 9 & 3 o'clock when the timing mark is on TDC for cylinder 1. The drawing (below) implies a high degree of precision on the 90° angle relative to the mounting holes. Mine is more like 8 & 2 o'clock, and I wonder if that matters. It must be the way it was when I pulled the distributor and I'm certainly not going to tear down the engine to see if the oil pump was aligned properly in the past.

I'd appreciate comments, especially whether this will align it close enough to get the engine started and then timed.

Just drop the distributor in the hole and turn the rotor until it drops in all the way. The offset drive tabs on that distributor will only allow it to drop in one way. As long as you marked the base of the distributor before removing it and put the plug wires on the same post on the cap, the timing should be pretty close.