1111093 distributor questions

[Joe R.]

All,

I did a little archive searching, but didn't find the answers. So here it goes. The car is a 66 L72 (427 / 425 hp), so K66 (TI) comes along for the ride. My first question is who restores them? I seem to remember that Mike Zamora and Dave Fielder both do. Is either one of them a good choice? Is there anyone else? How much, roughly, does it cost?

Here's a quote from the TIM&JG: "The factory installed distributor is painted semi-gloss black." What is the best paint to use?

Here's another quote from the JG: "Restored distributors and current replacements may have a relief hole through the housing at the forward thrust end of the tachometer drive gear location which is incorrect." Can anyone provide a picture of the relief hole?

Here's one last quote from the JG: "The distributor is held in place by a formed wire retainer secured with a clip and hex-head bolt. A known original head mark is "TR" or "SBC." Mine is a repo, the head mark is a "M." Where should I get a new bolt?

Thanks,
Joe

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

Joe, I think my tired original is a WB. I've seen them on ebay recently...

Aren't these supposed to have orange paint on them with the distributor being installed at the engine plant??

[Joe R.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

Joe, I think my tired original is a WB. I've seen them on ebay recently...

Aren't these supposed to have orange paint on them with the distributor being installed at the engine plant??

Ron,

I'm guessing that what you're saying is that WB appears on the head of the bolt that holds your distributor down. Is that correct?

I saved a portion of a post (by John Hinckley, I believe) saying that there was a guy in the engine plant who put a coffee can over the distributor before the engine got painted. So, I don't think the distributor would have gotten any orange paint.

Joe

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

Joe,

If the coffee can paint mask kept all the orange off the base of the distributor (and the metal ID tag) you would not have orange paint on a 390 cast iron intake manifold either. I've got a little orange over spray at the base of the dist & tag.

[Wayne M.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

....Here's another quote from the JG: "Restored distributors and current replacements may have a relief hole through the housing at the forward thrust end of the tachometer drive gear location which is incorrect." Can anyone provide a picture of the relief hole? ....

Joe -- It's not a "relief" hole [the '65 TIM&JG uses the same word ]; its a hole into which the nylon thrust button tit inserts (from the inside). This was a factory revision, starting sometime in mid-calendar 1970. But some shops drill and thread the earlier no-hole for an external adjustment (with lock nut).

So your '093' should have no hole, like the top unit shown in big pic (hidden by a shadow but you get the idea by looking at the bottom distrib, which is factory-drilled).

BTW, both of these sport their original factory paint job.

[Joe R.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

Joe -- It's not a "relief" hole [the '65 TIM&JG uses the same word ]; its a hole into which the nylon thrust button tit inserts (from the inside). This was a factory revision, starting sometime in mid-calendar 1970. But some shops drill and thread the earlier no-hole for an external adjustment (with lock nut).

So your '093' should have no hole, like the top unit shown in big pic (hidden by a shadow but you get the idea by looking at the bottom distrib, which is factory-drilled).

BTW, both of these sport their original factory paint job.

Wayne,

Thanks for clearing up one mystery for me! I need to get out my camera and take some pictures of my dizzy now.

Joe

[Wayne M.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

.....Thanks for clearing up one mystery for me! I need to get out my camera and take some pictures of my dizzy now. ....

Excellent idea -- Before sending out for rebuild, shoot pics, especially of the main body with the cast number, and close-ups of the partially filled BB oil annulus, the stamped numbers on the shaft end "football" and the weight plate (check top and bottom).

Also, ask for return of all components replaced -- some of those assemblies might still have useable parts.

[Wayne M.]

Re: 1111093 distributor questions

......Aren't these [distributors] supposed to have orange paint on them with the distributor being installed at the engine plant??

FWIW, here's one of the first tach drive K66 distibutors 4C30 (March 30th 1964), off a L76 Corvette. I think Pontiac was the first to get T.I. in late Dec or early Jan'64.

It would have been installed on an aluminum '4461' intake, and I suppose the distr. and the manifold would have been both masked. Don't know how to really account for this (orange appears nowhere else than here). Maybe a poorly fitting can ?