I am building a 383 and when I put the distributor in it’s not going all the way down. I pulled the oil pump drive out and the tang on the distributor shaft is too wide go all the way in the oil pump drive. I am using a MSD pro billet distributor and the oil pump drive shaft came from 440 source. I also tried a stock distributor and it is too wide to go in as well. Should the distributor be able to go all the way to the bottom of the groove in the oil pump drive?
yes. The 440 source oil pump drives are really tight on some distributor shafts. I usually do the easy fix of just taking (filing/grinding) a bit off the width of the distrubitor shaft so it sits all the way down with a snug fit.
While it won't necessarily all the way to the bottom of the slot, the distributor should seat all of the way down. Have you verified with the original intermediate shaft? Mancini sells Melling shafts and there is even one for aftermarket distributors IIRC. Did you replace the aluminum bushing with a new bronze one? if so, verify that you have fully seated it to the block.
I like 440 Source, had good customer service from them...but.... 10 years ago I quit buying 440 Source intermediate shafts.....for fitment problems like that.
Is it a 383 distributor? If it's a 440 distributor going into a 383 engine, no amount of beating with a hammer will make it go all the way down. Just verifying what we are talking about here.
Fit the distributor to the shaft with both parts on the bench. Also fit the distributor without the O ring before final assembly. There are 2 different O ring diameters depending on year. If it's still is to high. either the shaft is too long or the drive is to tall. I'll bet it's one of the first 2 items. Doug
Thanks for the info. I am using the correct distributor for a 383.I thought it would be ok To fit the distributor to the shaft I just needed some confirmation.
If the Source shaft slot is not the correct dimension, I'd be concerned about the other dimensions too. Just sayin.
