Can anyone give me tips on re-installing a distributor... I have it marked for timing and for firing order... HOWEVER I can't seem to be able to get the gear on the oil-pump shaft... I've tried turning it all the way around... AND slightly carving the bottom of the gear (to make a small funnel for the shaft to start easier) I have tried EVERYTHING, and I can't seem to get it in... Everytime I try it, I have about 1/2 inch more that I need to go... ANY advice would be great... Thanks in advance

 

OK, to get that pesky oil pump shaft to go in the distributor you set the engine to #1 TDC, rotate the dist so the rotor points to where the #1 terminal will be. Look at the orientation of the slot for the pump shaft in the bottom of the dist shaft. Move the pump shaft with a long screwdriver to the same position, then turn it counterclockwise about 1/8 th of a turn. Turn the rotor on the dist back the same 1/8th turn and carefully insert the distributor into the engine. Once it drops down so far the pump shaft should slide into the dist a bit, now kind of rotate the dist back and forth to work it down further (the gear on it and the cam are a kind of helix arangement and need to mesh as thedist seats). Once it is down all the way the rotor should have moved back clockwise to point back at #1.

 

that's just the problem... I have EVERYTHING lined up right.... It just wont go in... I even put a piece of masking tape on the bottom of the distributor so the oil-pump shaft would make a mark on where it was lining up with the slot on the distributor gear... it was DEAD ON... I even ground a little bit of the bottom of the distributor gear (sort of like a funnel), so the shaft would slide in easier, it just wont go in.....

 

Stop grinding on the shaft...no need to.

Do as Morley said, keep slightly moving the oil pump drive slot.

Eventually it will line up correctly.

 

Well I hate to state the obvious but, it was on there before, it will go on again. You just need to have paitents and keep at it, it is a close tolerance fit and will take some doing.

One thing that may be causing problems is that if the coupler that holds the shaft to the actual pump broke, the shaft may be leaning off to one side or the other.

 

Put the distributor in, bump the engine over until the distributor drops down all the way.

 

I have the same problem and it's making me absolutely crazy. I've bumped my motor until my battery died....still won't drop that last 1/2 inch. I've been working on it for two days now. Could the pump shaft be hitting the flat bottom of the gear? It's as if it is not even hitting the hole. Using a screwdriver, I notice that there is side-to-side play in the shaft. Is this normal? How much play should the shaft have? ***, I don't wanna drop my oil pan...you know what a pain it is on these cars. help............

 

The pump shaft will have some side to side play but it should want to sit straight.
Try this: Get #1 to TDC. Point the distributor rotor to the #1 terminal. Now look at the bottom of it and see which direction the tang for the pump shaft is pointing. Using a long screw driver put the slot in the pump shaft in the same position. Now turn the screw driver CCW 1/8th of a turn, Turn the distributor rotor the same 1/8th turn CCW. Now carefully try putting the distributor back in place (you may have to wiggle it a little bit to make it drop that last 1/2" or so. This method has never failed me in getting the distributor in and seated all the way.

 

I already tried that (I read your previous post). It gets to about 1/2 inch from seating and stops. The distributor also seems to "bind" there. There is about 1/4 inch side to side play in the pump shaft end. Does that sound right? I really don't think that the shaft is hitting the gear hole, otherwise bumping the motor would line it up.

 

It may not be lining up correctly, the coupler for the shaft to pump is plastic and may have broken. Not much you can do except drop the pan and change it. The good news is that while the pump is out you can put the distributor in correctly and just align the pump shaft when you put the pump back in.