Delco distributor bushing replacement

[docmirror]

I set my points on the TO-30 with the Delco 1111740 dist and then I grabbed the shaft. It moved a TON. I'm ordering the bushing kit. Never done this job before. It looks straightforward.

Any unusual tips? What about the shims that come with it? I presume we shim it so there is little vertical movement.

 

[wore out]

I set my points on the TO-30 with the Delco 1111740 dist and then I grabbed the shaft. It moved a TON. I'm ordering the bushing kit. Never done this job before. It looks straightforward.

Any unusual tips? What about the shims that come with it? I presume we shim it so there is little vertical movement.

Is this a cast iron distributor body or aluminum? If cast iron, it needs only a couple of thousandths of endplay, distributors with an aluminum body need more, perhaps six to ten thousandths to allow for the aluminum body to expand significantly more than the steel shaft as the engine warms up.

 

[stevieb49829]

I set my points on the TO-30 with the Delco 1111740 dist and then I grabbed the shaft. It moved a TON. I'm ordering the bushing kit. Never done this job before. It looks straightforward.

Any unusual tips? What about the shims that come with it? I presume we shim it so there is little vertical movement.

Is the shaft in good shape? It may not just be the bushings. Also, check the play on the top shaft where the centrifugal advance pivots. If that's where the play is, you might be looking for another shaft. The part with the lobes (where the points run) is really hard steel. Therefore, that wear ends up on the shaft, which is an integral part of the lower shaft. steve

 

[docmirror]

Thanks guys. Sounds like I should take it apart before I toss parts at it. I think this is a cast iron, but it's been painted, so I'll get it out of there, and have a look first. This place sells rebuilt dist for $117.

 

[Mad Farmer]

Shop manual mentions pressing out/in bushing with a mandrel and be careful not to mar the surface of the bushing.

I didn't see a mention of cast vs aluminum assys. It did mention there was a difference between the TO-20 and TO-30 distributors, and they are not interchangeable. For end play it just mentions < 0.010"

 

[Hemmjo]

Thanks guys. Sounds like I should take it apart before I toss parts at it. I think this is a cast iron, but it's been painted, so I'll get it out of there, and have a look first. This place sells rebuilt dist for $117.

FIRST measure the shaft were the bushing runs make sure it is round.

If you have access to a lathe you can make a tool to press in the bushing. You might find a bolt that is the right size to press it in. the bushing should fit the shoulder of the bolt nicely. Try both US and Mertic to find the best fit.

 

[Janicholson]

Thanks guys. Sounds like I should take it apart before I toss parts at it. I think this is a cast iron, but it's been painted, so I'll get it out of there, and have a look first. This place sells rebuilt dist for $117.

I have used a longer bushing and made sure it had clearance to operate on unworn areas of the original shaft. I then made sure it was getting grease (and greased ahead of starting), but a new shaft is best if worn enough to feel a step in it with your fingernail. I think most will have wear. Jim

 

[Jerry/MT]

I set my points on the TO-30 with the Delco 1111740 dist and then I grabbed the shaft. It moved a TON. I'm ordering the bushing kit. Never done this job before. It looks straightforward.

Any unusual tips? What about the shims that come with it? I presume we shim it so there is little vertical movement.

Find an auto electric shop and have them rebuid it. I had a '54 TO-30 and I had an outfit in Chicago named Philbin rebuild it They do a lot of these rebuilds and they have the tooling and the knowledge. Look them up on the web. I sent it in and they got it back in a week.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Find an auto electric shop and have them rebuid it. I had a '54 TO-30 and I had an outfit in Chicago named Philbin rebuild it They do a lot of these rebuilds and they have the tooling and the knowledge. Look them up on the web. I sent it in and they got it back in a week.

Philbin is located in Portland, Or. My bad!

 

[DanielW]

Bushings seem to come toleranced to different spec's depending on what distributor they're for. In my experience, the bushings for Delco's come with the right O.D. to be pressed in-place, but the I.D. is always a little undersized: They're intended to be reamed to suit the shaft size after they're pressed in. That way they can be reamed to accommodate a slightly worn shaft and you don't have to worry about the I.D> distorting when pressed in. They also don't have the oil wick hole drilled in them, so don't forget to drill it after it's pressed in-place (the reason these bushings are so often worn out is because people seldom remember to lube them).

The first few I did I had a machine shop ream them to suit the shaft once I pressed them in the housing. It worked fine, but was a little costly for their setup and machining time, and when I got them back the had a tiny bit more slop than I thought they should (though not enough to worry about). The last one I did was for a tractor I wasn't sure was worth putting any money into. So I duct-taped a piece of fine emery cloth lengthwise to a bolt shank that was held in a hand drill chuck, and used it like a cylinder hone. It took a while to get it honed to the right size, but I think the end result was actually better than the ones I took to the machine shop, and it cost me nothing to do. If I ever have to do it again, that's probably what I'd do. You want to make sure it has about a couple thou clearance (for lube and so the brass doesn't expand and jam the shaft when it gets hot).

Some folks say to make a special tool with a pilot to make sure the I.D. of the bushing stays true/straight when pressing in. I think that might be necessary for the Autolite bushings (which seem to usually be already bored to size, and also seem to have a thinner wall), but I've never worried about it for the Delco bushings: The bore has to be reamed to size one it's installed anyway, so it's not like you're going to harm anything.

When pressing it in, make sure you don't just lay the dizzy on its top (where the cap touches) and press it in; you'll crack the housing for sure. Use a large socket or similar to support the base inside the body, close to the bore.

As I was writing this I remembered something else: The last Delco I did the bushing on (for a Cockshutt 540) had a really tight fit of the bushing into the dizzy body. I was worried it was going to crack as I was pressing it in - even with the socket supporting it inside. I used a hand torch to give the dizzy body a little heat as I was pressing it in and it worked just fine.

 

[Janicholson]

Bushings seem to come toleranced to different spec's depending on what distributor they're for. In my experience, the bushings for Delco's come with the right O.D. to be pressed in-place, but the I.D. is always a little undersized: They're intended to be reamed to suit the shaft size after they're pressed in. That way they can be reamed to accommodate a slightly worn shaft and you don't have to worry about the I.D> distorting when pressed in. They also don't have the oil wick hole drilled in them, so don't forget to drill it after it's pressed in-place (the reason these bushings are so often worn out is because people seldom remember to lube them).

The first few I did I had a machine shop ream them to suit the shaft once I pressed them in the housing. It worked fine, but was a little costly for their setup and machining time, and when I got them back the had a tiny bit more slop than I thought they should (though not enough to worry about). The last one I did was for a tractor I wasn't sure was worth putting any money into. So I duct-taped a piece of fine emery cloth lengthwise to a bolt shank that was held in a hand drill chuck, and used it like a cylinder hone. It took a while to get it honed to the right size, but I think the end result was actually better than the ones I took to the machine shop, and it cost me nothing to do. If I ever have to do it again, that's probably what I'd do. You want to make sure it has about a couple thou clearance (for lube and so the brass doesn't expand and jam the shaft when it gets hot).

Some folks say to make a special tool with a pilot to make sure the I.D. of the bushing stays true/straight when pressing in. I think that might be necessary for the Autolite bushings (which seem to usually be already bored to size, and also seem to have a thinner wall), but I've never worried about it for the Delco bushings: The bore has to be reamed to size one it's installed anyway, so it's not like you're going to harm anything.

When pressing it in, make sure you don't just lay the dizzy on its top (where the cap touches) and press it in; you'll crack the housing for sure. Use a large socket or similar to support the base inside the body, close to the bore.

As I was writing this I remembered something else: The last Delco I did the bushing on (for a Cockshutt 540) had a really tight fit of the bushing into the dizzy body. I was worried it was going to crack as I was pressing it in - even with the socket supporting it inside. I used a hand torch to give the dizzy body a little heat as I was pressing it in and it worked just fine.

The worn spot on the distributor shaft may be away from the end such that the shaft could not be assembled into the bushing unless the shaft was ground and polished to a uniform size to get to the bushing ID+.001 to .0005" clearance. Jim

 

[docmirror]

Well, I took the old dist apart, and one of the advance springs and plate was badly worn and rusty from sitting. Also, the shaft was in poor shape with scoring marks, and the gear drive was sloppy, so I binned the old one and bought a new dist asm. I just fitted it and glad I went that way rather than trying to get mine sorted, or sending out for rebuild. I suspect the cost of the Delco rebuild would be higher than the $108 I spent on a new one. Even though the new one was likely made in China. Along with new ign wires, and plugs and a coil, my whole high tension circuit is all new.

 

[Janicholson]

I assume it worked just fine. That is a good price. Jim

 

[DanielW]

I've had good luck with aftermaket/Chinese distributors. Carbs not so much. But the condensers do tend to fail pretty soon. Not a big deal. And the last one I got wasn't lubed up - bushings were completely dry. So you may want to check the lube status before running it too much.