1973 Dodge SB Distributor will not seat against block

That missing collar could be why oil drive shaft came out with your distributor. If the distributor shaft has that much play, can it pop out of the drive gear, if the slot is not bunged?
 
That missing collar could be why oil drive shaft came out with your distributor. If the distributor shaft has that much play, can it pop out of the drive gear, if the slot is not bunged?
Play may have been closer to 3/16". Range 4" to 3 13/16". I think slot is deeper than 1/16" or even 1/8". I couldn't turn the shaft after install. I drove the car 40 miles and it did not come out. Hope I didn't damage cap and rotor.
 
Easy to see on the cap look at the center button if it is excessivly worn the shaft went up.
 
You can get a half inch collar at a hardware store. I usually use them at the bottom to not allow dist to ride up and down at will. Yes they have a set screw which you can drill all the way through and use a roll pin like the factory did. Some lock tight on the set screw will work.
 
You can get a half inch collar at a hardware store. I usually use them at the bottom to not allow dist to ride up and down at will. Yes they have a set screw which you can drill all the way through and use a roll pin like the factory did. Some lock tight on the set screw will work.
Good to know, Dave. Might save me some $ in the future.
 
Personallly I do not trust them becaus if that set screw comes out where does it go, I do like the idea to drill it and pin it though.
 
Do the pin and you willl be fine. Easy 1/8 drilll bit dril one side line it up and drill through the shaft, Mopars are always not straight across, no idea why.
 
My local one down the street. It's a Hillman piece, I'm not sure of the specific purpose. They are sized by shaft diameter 1/2" works on our distributors. I have used them to hold wheels on axles instead of the one way little caps.
Amazon and Home Depot both pop up as having them.
Screenshot_20210811-044112.png
 
I had some metal ones made up I seriously do not trust those colars Have seen the screw come out on custoimers and it created problems, They also use them on the bottom of the shaft to keep the oil pump drive from riding up. What I have seen from that is if they are not ballanced they wipe out the shaft bushings in the distributors. Kind of a pet peve for me. Just saying what I have seen and I have dealt with alot of distributors over the years Seen most of the crazy stuff peope do to them.. One thing Mopar did a great job designing them compared to other companys.
 
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My local one down the street. It's a Hillman piece, I'm not sure of the specific purpose. They are sized by shaft diameter 1/2" works on our distributors. I have used them to hold wheels on axles instead of the one way little caps.
Amazon and Home Depot both pop up as having them.View attachment 480419
Great info. Thanks!
I had some metal ones made up I seriously do not trust those collars Have seen the screw come out on customers and it created problems, They also use them on the bottom of the shaft to keep the oil pump drive from riding up. What I have seen from that is if they are not balanced they wipe out the shaft bushings in the distributors. Kind of a pet peve for me. Just saying what I have seen and I have dealt with alot of distributors over the years Seen most of the crazy stuff people do to them.. One thing Mopar did a great job designing them compared to other companys.
I like the idea of drilling through and using the roll pin. I'd be afraid of the set screw falling out.
I hope the Hughes collar is balanced. It's at USPS in Champaign, IL. so enroute.
 
It should be cose to balanced. They are the same thing you can get in the hardware stoire for a 1/2" shaft. I bought 100 of them for rebuilds and was spinning one up on the dist machine, dam set screw started getting loose. Wont use them after seeing that. I had a bunch of meta collars made up for my rebuilds, forget about the nylon ones they crack and even if they are NOS they are 50 years od and how were they stored? Stuff bit me in the *** about ten years ago and cost me a bunch to have a guys motor fixed. Remember that spins half as fast as the crank does.
 
Hughes Engine generally makes a good quality product. I hope it's not just a drilled out collar from a hardware store.
 
Sucks: I paid $15.55 including $10.60 ship and waited all that time for something I could have bought at a hardware store. They don't cover return ship and charge a 20% restocking fee. I'll have to see roll pin width and buy a new bit set to drill it out.
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I had some metal ones made up I seriously do not trust those colars Have seen the screw come out on custoimers and it created problems, They also use them on the bottom of the shaft to keep the oil pump drive from riding up. What I have seen from that is if they are not ballanced they wipe out the shaft bushings in the distributors. Kind of a pet peve for me. Just saying what I have seen and I have dealt with alot of distributors over the years Seen most of the crazy stuff peope do to them.. One thing Mopar did a great job designing them compared to other companys.
Hi Ray
I see now. Hughes Instructions are strange. Putting collar at oil pump driveshaft limits down travel, not up travel. It's exactly the opposite of what I want. Hughes instructions below.

Can the Hughes collar be drilled to fit the roll pin? If not, can I buy a roll pin collar from you for the factory location at the top of the driveshaft? I'm pulling the distributor today. May answer the 1st question through trial and error. Trial, removing the distributor AGAIN. Error: buying the Hughes collar.
SC Instructions.jpg
 
I didn't look close enough at the Hughes piece or I never would have mentioned it. I figured it was like the steel collar that Chrysler used to offer as a replacement. That came as a package with shims to get the end play right.

Sorry
 
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