c2 Distributor

[William G.]

small block distributor. do they have a part number on them
or is it on the tag only.
are all small block distributors the same for all years? if not how can you tell the difference.
have seen some with a place to put oil in them back by the tack drive.

[Richard M.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Early ones have the attached metal plate id. H-Perf? and later units? used the removable bands.

This helped me in the past......not perfect but very informative. Click the "Continue" button on top of page. You'll be in there for a while...Rich

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2000/march/dist/distp1.asp

[Tom P.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Beginning with 62, ALL distriutors were tach drive and had the thin alum band (except FI dist had the rectangle plate).
Also, ALL SB and BB distributors are physically interchangeable, thus, if the band is missing, it is virtually impossible to tell the difference. ONLY the stamped part number on the band identified the specific application of the dist.
The differences between SB-BB distributors as well as engine application is the shape of the "football" on the shaft, type of advance weights, springs and vacuum can. All of these individual components are 100% interchangeable between distributors.
You can actually take a 1962 dist for a base, 250hp 327 and turn it into a dist for a 1974 454 engine by simply installing the appropriate parts.

[William G.]

Re: c2 Distributor

thanks guys
richard that was a great article on distributor.
i found out i have a 1962 250/300 hp distributor with the oiler
also have a 350/350 hp distributor that i will use in my
1965 300 hp
thanks guys
bill

[Richard M.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Hi William, Glad it helped. Coincidence......I was on the search for a 1110984 for my 62 250hp some time ago. Finally found one. That dist article helped me then too. That side oiler is really funny looking isn't it. You need to get oil in from a horizontal opening, making a mess everywhere. What were they thinking.

Rich

[Bill I.]

Re: c2 Distributor

You think the horz oil filler tube is a problem? I purchased a whole home generator, the oil filter is top mounted. Now WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? Can't wait to see in 200 hours of use what a mess that will make. Bill.

[Duke W.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Make sure the you can turn the filter - just slightly - not enough to break the seal (so you know it will spin off) then puncture the filter at its highest point. Open the drain plug and just after you reinstall the plug, spin the filter off. If it's been at least 10 minutes and the oil was hot when you started the job, there should be nothing but a very slight drip.

I have two cars with "upside down" filters, and the above method prevents making a mess.

Duke

[William G.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Richard
that oiler sure is funny looking. would be a bear to
put oil in.
question what is it worth as i will probably will sell it.
iam trying to put together my 1965 conv that i took a
part in 1982. so i am finding parts i have collected over
the years. will load them up when i get this vett together
and go to a swap meet.
garage is a mess
thanks again
bill

[Richard M.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Yep goofey oiler for sure......Can't recall what I paid for mine, it was about a year ago. These don't come up often on ebay to get value info, and I always see the dual point high-perf units on there often(the 1110985's). I'd suggest drop a free ad in the Driveline for "best offer", take a few calls on it, then find it a new home.

Rich

[John H.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Virtually all 60's-70's 12-cylinder Ferraris have dual filters, mounted "upside-down"; the factory filters (and the Fram PH2804A, made specifically for the Ferrari application) have an internal check valve so you can just unscrew them with no drama - it also makes for instantaneous oil pressure when you start them, as the oil pump doesn't have to fill the filter first. Most Ferrari V-12's run 80-90 psi (130-150 at cold start) through 3/4" lines, so there's a LOT of oil flow; they're also designed with the exhaust valve springs and stems mostly submerged in that flow of oil for additional WOT cooling.

[Robert K.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Tom,
You note in your post that all of the parts are 100% interchangeable between distributors. Does that mean that I could "build a distributor for my '67 L71 out of a skeleton distributor? My distributor is a 1111258 for the 427/435 Hp with the following codes: TD - Tach Drive/flex. cable, LW - Lead wird (with color code), CC - cast iron with ext. adjustment, MP - Magnetic Pulse Distributor, RB - Red Identification Band, V- Vacuum Advance.
Do you know if all of the "parts" are still available?
I would expect that the 1111258 is no longer manufactured - are there any still out there?
Any thoughts on the price?
I've looked in the Driveline for over a year with no luck........

Thanks,
Bob

[Tom P.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Tom,
You note in your post that all of the parts are 100% interchangeable between distributors. Does that mean that I could "build a distributor for my '67 L71 out of a skeleton distributor? My distributor is a 1111258 for the 427/435 Hp with the following codes: TD - Tach Drive/flex. cable, LW - Lead wird (with color code), CC - cast iron with ext. adjustment, MP - Magnetic Pulse Distributor, RB - Red Identification Band, V- Vacuum Advance.
Do you know if all of the "parts" are still available?
I would expect that the 1111258 is no longer manufactured - are there any still out there?
Any thoughts on the price?
I've looked in the Driveline for over a year with no luck........

Thanks,
Bob

Correct, more or less.
I should have specified the point type distributors.
All the point type, tach drive distributor parts (62-74) are interchangeable, such as the housing, main shaft, breaker plate, weight cam, springs, weights, etc.
Of course there are differences. Such as the "football" on the top of the main shaft, weights, springs, vacuum can values, etc. But they all are interchangeable. For example, you can use a 62 housing for a 250hp/327, and install a 71 BB shaft in it, use use 70 weights, 74 weight springs, etc, etc, and it will all go together. The side gear and fitting for the tach drive are all the same. The drive gear on the end of the shaft are all the same, The rotors and caps are the same (with patent #, R and no-R variations).
One slight difference that I overlooked is the 62 only 340hp/327 distributor. It is a dual point, mechanical advance ONLY with NO vac adv can.
Of course, if you mix a bunch of parts from various distributors as above, you're going to need a dist machine and a dist guru who is a wizzard at setting advance curves. OR, you can put one together, install it, and use a dial back timing light to play with various weights, springs and vac cans until you get a curve setup in the ball park that you are happy with.
Actually, that's how I've done it for years because I've just never invested in a Sun dist machine. I gotta do that someday!

[Stuart F.]

Re: c2 Distributor

I have an old 57 Passenger car distributor that I keep around as a spare. It has the cast Iron housing (?), not aluminum, and an oiler elbow. I don't see what is being talked about regarding this oiler. Mine has a pipe thread end connection into the housing, then is a bent elbow with the spring loaded filler cap facing up - no problem. The only thing I dislike about it is that it uses a tapered pin in the drive gear instead of a roll pin. It is harder to get out, although I haven't had a need to take it apart in many years.

Stu Fox

[Wayne M.]

Re: c2 Distributor

.... there are differences. Such as the "football" on the top of the main shaft, weights, springs, vacuum can values, etc. But they all are interchangeable. ....... The side gear and fitting for the tach drive are all the same. The drive gear on the end of the shaft are all the same.

Here's a few pics showing Tom's description: # 1 is two examples of different "footballs" (cam for weight plate), soldered on top of distributor shaft.

Second is of the base of the cast housing, showing a partially filled annulus for oiling purposes (left side type used for '65-6 big blocks; not sure if it would work if installed in a small block). Also note the distrib driven gear angle on the left; this was not production Corvette, but rather off-road for gear driven camshafts.

[Timothy B.]

Re: c2 Distributor

Wayne, Is there supposed to be a felt like washer inside the breaker point plate where the weight base cam spins. I am aware of the felt washer under but I seem to recall one inside also.