Hey Tom,
I’ve found that it’s just as important to remove the phenolic washer and re-shim the distributor gear to get stable timing. if you have some slop (I’ve rebuilt a few that had over .100″ play), the shaft jumps up and down which causes timing instability. (the aforementioned .100″ distributor was moving around around 3 degrees).
Sure, it’s a pain to drill out that pin, but you can replace them with a roll pin. you can also replace the felt lubricating pad while you have the shaft out. they get pretty cruddy, especially if the distributor was actually oiled per spec.
Hey Tom,
I’ve found that it’s just as important to remove the phenolic washer and re-shim the distributor gear to get stable timing. if you have some slop (I’ve rebuilt a few that had over .100″ play), the shaft jumps up and down which causes timing instability. (the aforementioned .100″ distributor was moving around around 3 degrees).
Sure, it’s a pain to drill out that pin, but you can replace them with a roll pin. you can also replace the felt lubricating pad while you have the shaft out. they get pretty cruddy, especially if the distributor was actually oiled per spec.