Removing stuck distributor and lower shaft

[Banditorama]

Pulled my cylinder head to replace the gasket (what an ordeal). After battling a few rusty studs to get the head off, now I've got the distributor stuck in the head and the lower shaft rusted to the distributor.

I've been soaking it in PB blaster and tried heating it up with a propane torch, but no dice. The shaft spins freely, but there's absolutely 0 up and down play.

Any suggestions?

[Brentwood Bob]

Cut the shaft flush then drill it out? The distributor body is fragile.

[Bob C]

Are you sure you don't have the long one piece shaft?

[JayJay]

If this is a two piece shaft then the collar you see flush with the bottom of the block is pinned onto the short shaft that goes up through the distributor. The lower shaft it is a "slip" fit in to the collar. It's held in place at the top by a flange on the shaft, so until you can get the pin out of the collar you can't get the upper shaft out of the distributor. And you can't get the pin out of the collar until you get the distributor out of the head...

So keep trying penetrating oil and gentle longitudinal tension to remove the shaft from the collar.

But - if it's a one piece shaft then it won't separate at that collar. I can't tell from the picture whether it's one piece or two. (If it's a one-piece shaft that would explain why your efforts at heat won't work.)

The good news is that the shaft collar presses on the bottom of the distributor casting. So if you can get some gentle longitudinal compression pressure (as in, tap tap tap, not whack whack whack) you might be able to gently press on the collar (two piece shaft) or shaft (one piece shaft) to drive the distributor out. Big thing is, don't try to twist the distributor, it is held in alignment with a pin into the top of the head and you will break the distributor for sure. And be careful prying between the distributor and the head, that may also crack the distributor housing.

I agree that it would be a good idea to get everything freed up before reassembly (and when you get the distributor out, be sure to coat it with anti-seize where it goes into the block, including the alignment pin). But if all your efforts fail, is there anything that keeps you from just putting it back together the way you had it and calling it a day?

[Boston Bruce]

If you have an original head on the car, this is a good time to replace the cylinder head with a new high compression head. Then you can just bust up the original head with a sledge hammer to get the distributor out. A bit brutal but....

[Benson]

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Can not tell from looking at the photo.


Is the whole screw with locknut in head removed COMPLETLY?

Or is the end of screw broken off flush to head?

[Banditorama]

Originally Posted by Benson

Can not tell from looking at the photo.


Is the whole screw with locknut in head removed COMPLETLY?

Or is the end of screw broken off flush to head?

It is completely out and came out in one piece

[Banditorama]

As far as it being that one piece shaft, I'm not sure. This is the first time I've opened up the engine. It is possible that it is the one piece shaft.

I can't bring myself to just leave it (as much as I'd love to). If I'm gonna something, I'm gonna do it right. That and I'm also painting the engine since it needed it and everything has been torn apart.

[Gold Digger]

I would find a piece of pipe that would slip over the distributor shaft and try and drive it out of the head.

[rotorwrench]

The one piece was an early item and there would be no sign of the coupling that the two piece fits. The area that the distributor shaft rides in is problematic with corrosion being caused by condensation, I've seen the two piece type welded into that coupling before. Penetrant may not be all that effective if severely corroded. Get some Evaporust an dip it in there for a while.

[Brentwood Bob]

Cut the shaft close to the bottom of the head, find a socket that is close to the diameter of the hole for the distributor and use that socket to tap out the distributor.
A soak in rust911 first if you have it.

[Banditorama]

She's free!!

Looks like I got the one piece shaft in there. Time to clean everything up and paint it. Thanks everyone for your help/suggestions!

[Gary WA]

Originally Posted by Banditorama

She's free!!

Looks like I got the one piece shaft in there. Time to clean everything up and paint it. Thanks everyone for your help/suggestions!

Re-do with the two piece shaft!

[Fullraceflathead]

Great news that you got it out now rebuild it with the 2 pc setup the reason they used a 2 pc setup is to allow for slight misalignment with the 1 pc shaft that slight misalignment puts stress on the distributor bushings!

[rotorwrench]

I use LPS-3 on the shafting before I reinstall. It helps prevent corrosion.

[MilwaukeeMike]

Try Aero-Kroil. Being upside down, it should soak in nicely. Give it a few days.
A thin pipe or conduit might fit over the shaft and let you gently tap the bottom of the distributor that is stuck.

[Herb Concord Ca]

Don't paint the lower part of the distributor, that goes in the head. Use sandpaper or steel wool to clean and make it shiny. Also clean the distributor hole in the head. This how the points get to ground.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Herb Concord Ca

Don't paint the lower part of the distributor, that goes in the head. Use sandpaper or steel wool to clean and make it shiny. Also clean the distributor hole in the head. This how the points get to ground.

After I clean up the lower portion and get to shiny metal, I put a light coat of copper anti-seize on it. Maintains electrical continuity and also helps prevent sticking.

[gtovet49]

What was the method to free it?

[Banditorama]

Originally Posted by gtovet49

What was the method to free it?

It soaked all night before I made this post in PB blaster. I used a propane torch to heat it up and more PB blaster and ever so gently used a pry bar on either end of the distributor. I repeated that process for almost an hour, soaked it in PB blaster again as I contemplated what to do.

I found you can get a new distributor housing from Berts and decided to more aggressively try to free it. I took 3 smaller pry bars and slowly tapped them in between the body of the distributor and the head. Once I got it lifted high enough, I got two bigger bars and used them to get it all the way out.