Distributor Auto-Cams

[Page C.]

Does anyone know the auto-cam number that was stamped into the football shaped cam on the top of a 1965 Corvette 1111076 distributor shaft. The original shaft was GM# 1964925. Also does anyone know how GM assigned the two and three digit numbers to the auto-cams.
Thanks,
Page Campbell

[William C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Hate to burst your bubble, but a random sampling of a half-dozen cast-iron housing distributors in my shop and the '070 in my '65 FI car, no numbers are present on the top of the football. They are present on several aluminum housing versions from later years, but not in the mid-60's versions, at least ont on the ones I have available to examine.

[Joe L.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Hate to burst your bubble, but a random sampling of a half-dozen cast-iron housing distributors in my shop and the '070 in my '65 FI car, no numbers are present on the top of the football. They are present on several aluminum housing versions from later years, but not in the mid-60's versions, at least ont on the ones I have available to examine.

Bill-----


Sometimes the numbers are stamped on the bottom of the auto cam.

[William C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Sometimes, sometimes not. I have a number of originals, especially from older distributors, without numbers, and as a direct answer to the poster's question I wasn't going to disassemble the distributor from the fueler. Seems like the later versions are more likely to be stamped, probably due to the proliferation of curves post '66 when the Smog ****'s really started to get carried away...61-65 had about 10, in total including the different designs for 2X4 distributors and FI, while 68-74 I counted more like 40+ in the parts book, all on essentially the same distributor. Apparently I used a prohibited word to describe the activities of CARB and the "clean air act"

[Joe L.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Sometimes, sometimes not. I have a number of originals, especially from older distributors, without numbers, and as a direct answer to the poster's question I wasn't going to disassemble the distributor from the fueler. Seems like the later versions are more likely to be stamped, probably due to the proliferation of curves post '66 when the Smog ****'s really started to get carried away...61-65 had about 10, in total including the different designs for 2X4 distributors and FI, while 68-74 I counted more like 40+ in the parts book, all on essentially the same distributor. Apparently I used a prohibited word to describe the activities of CARB and the "clean air act"

Bill------


I did not say or even mean to imply that all auto-cams had the numbers, just that sometimes there are numbers on the bottom. Also, I was not encouraging you to disassemble the distributor to see if there were numbers on the bottom; I would not go that far, either.

[Wayne M.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Page -- you might want to send a PM to Jim Durham who has an original '65 with the L75 and 1116238 vac can. He might be kind enough to remove the rotor and read what's on the football (as long as it's not on the underside).

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...1116238+vacuum

His post is way down in the thread (#42).

[John D.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Does anyone know the auto-cam number that was stamped into the football shaped cam on the top of a 1965 Corvette 1111076 distributor shaft. The original shaft was GM# 1964925. Also does anyone know how GM assigned the two and three digit numbers to the auto-cams.
Thanks,
Page Campbell

Page, I do believe the FI 070 and your 076 used the same football which is 03. The number is sometimes very hard to see as the spring post hides it. The number can be on either side of the cam.
Now if you have a NOS distributor shaft don't count on it being correct. I have had a NOS shaft that is listed in the parts book as being correct for 62-64. It's stamped 54W and isn't worth crap..
Lot of vendors used to sell repro distributor shafts that were basically one that fit all. One football across the board. Delco Remy had a ton of footballs.
You didn't ask Page. But say a fellow has a NOS 070 FI distributor. Those NOS service replacement distributors had most anything on them. Different cams and different footballs. Don't throw those old shafts away. Even if the bushing area is trashed. You can use the football over on a repro shaft.
Now if you have an FI car rumor has it that the new repro shaft is dead nuts. Correctly made football and all. JD

Hey Clupper, Get nice magnifying lamp my friend and look again as the number has got to be there unless it's a repro shaft. John

[William C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Sorry my friend, not only isn't it there, but I have several distributors in my collection with similar configuration and no visible stamp on the football. (Not all Chevrolet), and none of which have been disassembled in their lifetime, kept for parts units and reference...The best way to verify the curve is just to put it on a machine and plot it out to compare with factory spec, or if brave use a timing tape and timing light.

[Page C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Hi John,
I found what I believe to be the original 111076 distributor to my late 1965 327/300. I had often wondowed how it had a 111069 in it and must have changed it 30 years ago when the tack/shaft gears went belly up. The 076 shaft did have what looked like a 0 and the next number was 2/3 off of the cam. Could have been the bottom of a 3 or 5. Since the 03 is the number for it, will use the cam on a repo shaft.
Bill C. must have a bunch of repo shafts if they don't have some code on the top or bottom. Dave Fielders web site states that there were 38 different main shafts cams. All original that I have seen were identified with some two or three letter code. Thanks again John
Page Campbell

[Wayne M.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Page -- I have two L76 distrib's and they both have "03" on the football. The first distr. is an original '64 T.I. 1111060, 4_C_30, and it has "03" underlined on the bottom surface.

The second is a service 1111069, 0_D_23 (probably 1980), and it has the mainshaft football with "03" stamped, although I didn't take note whether on top or bottom surface.

Of the 10 or so distrib's I have, no others have the "03".

[Page C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Hi Wayne,
The 1111069 that I put in the car 30 some years ago was dated 5 C 1 and it had a 183W cam. Have one more 069 to check tomorrow.

[John D.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

So Page the consensus here is that Clupper has repro shafts and the rest of the guys have the real deal 03's. Very funny.
Actually Bill you caused me to look at a box of junk carb distributors I bought at the fleas.
I picked up 10 of them and everyone had various numbers on the football.
Dave Fieldler said there were 38 different footballs. That's pretty good info as for an eon now I remember hearing there are/were at least 37 variations on football.
Don Baker talks about these footballs all the time for the FI distributors. He can help you fellows out more on the football info than I can for sure.

[William C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Thanks John, I didn't check the bottoms of the loose shafts I have as I was discussing (I thought) what could be seen in an assembled distributor. I have at least two that are original (one not Corvette, never disassembled) that have two stake marks adjacent to the shaft area that would effectively eliminate any signs of a number. Certainly there were many footballs, as the variations in the weights were relatively few as compared to the variations in the curves used over 17 or so years of GM engines using the top-weight advance distributors. I can think of three or four weight styles over they years prior to HEI.

[Joe L.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Thanks John, I didn't check the bottoms of the loose shafts I have as I was discussing (I thought) what could be seen in an assembled distributor. I have at least two that are original (one not Corvette, never disassembled) that have two stake marks adjacent to the shaft area that would effectively eliminate any signs of a number. Certainly there were many footballs, as the variations in the weights were relatively few as compared to the variations in the curves used over 17 or so years of GM engines using the top-weight advance distributors. I can think of three or four weight styles over they years prior to HEI.

Bill-----


Yes, there were very few different weights but there were a lot of different auto-cams and a lot of different springs.

[William C.]

Re: Distributor Auto-Cams

Surprising though what can be done with a little creative work on the weights and a distributor machine to check the results...