Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

[Mark E.]

Problems with my '70 distributor:

- Dwell is erratic. Sloppy main shaft bushings? Changing points does not help, and they are securely fastened down.

- Tach drive doesn't work well (needle bounces around a lot). Gears on main shaft and cross-gear still look ok, but the end of the cross gear has worn a round depression into the main housing that's about 0.040" deep.

I think the machining needed is beyond my garage's capabilities, so I'm looking for someone to check/replace the bushings and fix the tach drive. I can do the rest of the assembly, but I'm open to receiving a distributor ready to go.

So far I've contacted:

Lars- He has a great reputation but isn't responding to email. (I realize he has a real daytime job, so I understand.)

TI Specialty- Great reputation, but their telephone estimate is "$700 or more". Yikes.

Chicago Corvette- They have a distributor rebuild service that's reasonably priced, but they add a brass thrust button in the housing for the cross-gear. I've read that these should be avoided because the cross-gear grinds the brass button down, creating debris that destroys the main shaft bushings. Thoughts about this?

Other recommended resources?

Thanks folks!

[Patrick H.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Check with Bill Clupper to see if he does or does not want to do it. He's done a few for me, with great results.
However, he's retired and you have to accomodate his schedule.

[Mark E.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

I just heard back from Bill C. He doesn't do this type of distributor repair.

I learned that Zip and Paragon rebuild distributors.

Any feedback about their work, or the work of the folks listed in my first post?

Other recommendations?

[Frank D.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Someone on the Corvette Forum said Lars is not doing distributors anymore...

[Gary C.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Mark,

Fellow Texas Chapter member Chuck Anderson in Fort Worth does great work on distributors. (817) 763-8115

Gary
....

[Gary J.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Check out Jerry McNeish at Z/28camero.com

[Joe C.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Dave Fiedler
TI Specialties

OR

You can easily do it yourself as long as you ream the lower bushing after driving it in.

[Joe R.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Mark,

Go with Dave Fiedler as he specializes in rebuilding tach drive distributors. Wonderful job. Some of the ones spoken about above are NOT to be relied upon for anything. And some of the above would do an excellent job on your distributor. Let the buyer beware!

JR

[Daniel D.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Dave Fiedler did mine, and I'm very happy with it.

[Mark E.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Dave Fiedler did mine, and I'm very happy with it.

Dave Fielder of TI Specialty quoted $700 or more over the phone (see original post).

Should it really cost that much? That's almost as much as my monthly Obamacare bill.

[R N.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Try Don Baker. 1-815-498-9522. He did my 66 TI and my 67 point distributor over winter last year. Excellent work and I couldn't me more pleased. An honest gentlemen to work with.

[Joe L.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Dave Fielder of TI Specialty quoted $700 or more over the phone (see original post).

Should it really cost that much? That's almost as much as my monthly Obamacare bill.

Mark-------


First, using a snap gauge and a micrometer, check the ID of the upper and lower bushings (at several diameters each). If they check out OK, you can re-use the housing as-is. You won't gain anything by replacing the bushings.

If they don't check out OK, then you need someone to install new bushings and align-hone them. I think Dave Fiedler will do this much for less than $700.

Other than the bushing installation, if needed, you can rebuild the distributor yourself. It's really quite simple do do so. Most of the existing parts can be re-used.

You have two options as far as tach cross gear end play is concerned. First, you can drill the housing and install one of the brass buttons available on the market. This is what I recommend. Will the brass button wear? Yes, it will but I don't think it's going to be a problem in your lifetime. Second, you can drill and tap the housing for a set screw. Install the set screw, run it in until it just contacts the cross gear, then back it out 1/3 of a turn, or so.

[Douglas L.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

What is the diameter of the shaft? For some reason I'm thinking .500, if so I found this purpose built reamer for a reasonable pricehttp://www.brattons.com/product.asp?...istory=related.

Second, you can drill and tap the housing for a set screw. Install the set screw, run it in until it just contacts the cross gear, then back it out 1/3 of a turn, or so.

Thats what I did on mine, went a step further and ground flat and polished the end of the set screw(probably overkill, but couldnt hurt). I like this method beacuse of the ability to adjust end play. Looks externally incorrect but worth it in my opinion.

Good Luck, Doug

Edit: I was wrong, the shaft diameter is .490. Found some reamers in that size but nothing with long enough flutes to do both bushings at once, looks like adjustable reamer may be the only option.

[Joe R.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

Chicago Corvette- They have a distributor rebuild service that's reasonably priced, but they add a brass thrust button in the housing for the cross-gear. I've read that these should be avoided because the cross-gear grinds the brass button down, creating debris that destroys the main shaft bushings. Thoughts about this?

Thanks folks!

Hi Mark,

Do your homework on Chicago Corvette before dealing with them!

Joe

[Stuart F.]

Re: Can you recommend a service to rebuild a tach drive distributor?

I used to deal with Chicago Corvette when I still lived in the Chicago area years ago and they were just OK. Then I moved south and their operation went south too, so to speak. i don't know how well they do with distributors or other electrical components, but I recently saw their booth at Carlisle where they had a display of rebuilt carburetors for sale. They were, imo, the best examples of rebuilt carbs I have ever seen at a Corvette swap meet/show. They were all correct in most every way, the hardware, the finish on the housings, top plates, chokes, and linkages, etc. They were pricey, but well worth considering if one wanted a correct "dated" carburetor. They equaled or surpassed any others I've seen, and I have looked a lot of carbs over the years (special interest of mine). Over the past few years I have spent countless hours fixing up my Carter AFB 3461S to look and perform correctly, and believe me, I was envious to the point I considered buying another one from them just to get one date stamped a few months closer to my build date.

I also rebuilt my distributor this past year on my 63 SHP. After much consternation, I ended up reusing my original shaft and stayed with my original bushings. The shaft was scored as if a stone got in there, but the damage was all above the lower bushing. I too had a lot of housing wear from the cross shaft and I chose to drill, tap and use the adjustable set screw. To me, trying to use a brass or nylon button would mean having to machine the housing to countersink the button and I don't have the means or desire to invest in an unnecessary procedure. If my distributor was a later model that originally had a button, yes, then it would be practical. Mine did not. Also, I re-used my original cross shaft too as it made sense to me that because I was not changing the main shaft I would be better off staying with a matched set of gears. i have put a couple of thousand miles on the car since my "so called rebuild" and everything is working fine. The shaft end play is holding well, as it should. I had used loctite on the screw.

Stu Fox