Distributor Rebuild - bushing removal question

[Vic in E-TN]

I bought a few distributor bodies at Hershey so I could have some spares in my cars. Today I used a sharpened nail to remove the bottom bushing by collapsing it. It was a real chore. I have removed bushings from brake actuators, etc and they were larger and easier to do. The ID of the distributor bore looks to be 9/16 in. I am reluctant to just run a drill through the shaft bore because I am afraid that I will either enlarge it or break it. I do not have a drill bit between 1/2 and 9/16 in. If I did I would want to reduce the thickness of the bushing to make it easier to remove.

Has anyone out there had good luck with another method?

I will order a bushing reamer from Bratton's or Snyder's next week.

Thanks for your help.
Vic

[Joe K]

Use a 3/8" pipe tap. Wind it into the bushing a bit and then use it as a "puller" to remove the bushing.

Joe K

[Tom Endy]

You can slit the bushing with a hack saw blade. Carefully saw a slit in the bushing being careful not to cut into the housing. next take a nail and flatten the end and grind it into a chisel shape. Carefully tap the nail down along side the slit to pry it away from the housing. Use long nose priers and twist the bushing out. Do this to both ends. Clean the housing thoroughly, inspect for cracks around the bushing area. The top bushing area is prone to cracking. If you find cracks I would discard the housing.

You will need a bushing press-in tool. They are easily made by someone with a lathe. Be careful pressing in the new bushings, here is where cracks develop. Best to press them in from the bottom.

For a tutorial, go to the web site of the Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California. santaanitaas.org. On the home page put your cursor on "technical Reference". My name will appear below. Click on it and a menu will come up. Scroll to the section on distributors and there is an article with photos that shows how to install new bushings without cracking the housing.

Tom Endy

[wrndln]

I agree with what Joe K said. You need to be very careful removing the upper bushing and especially installing the new bushing in the top part of the distributor as the metal is very thin and can crack easily. I would oil the new bushing and make sure the inside of the housing is burr free and clean. I wouldn't thread the tap in very far so as not to crack the housing. Don't ask me how I know this.
Rusty Nelson

[Tom Wesenberg]

Here is the tool I made to do the job safely. I used the long one piece distributor shaft for the driver. You can see I drilled a hole then cut a slit up the the hole. I then spread the end to make it slightly bell-mouthed. I tapered the other end, so pounding on it with the hammer wouldn't mushroom it and keep it from sliding through the housing. Notice the hole for the brass T handle to pull it through the bushing.

Once I pull the driver through the bushing the end spreads to catch the bushing. I then support the housing in the jig I made and hammer the bushing out. I made a brass support for the top to fit in the jig for support. Once one bushing is out I can use the short shaft to drive out the other bushing. This saves wear on the bell mouth end of the long driver.

The aluminum plate in the jig has a hole large enough for the bushing to be driven through.

[Mike V. Florida]

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No matter the method don't be surprised if at some time it does not want to work. The trick is to know different methods.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi Vic,

One simple way I always used without problems:

1. Use a tap to easily provide partial threads in both upper & lower soft distributor bronze bushing.

2. After providing threads, remove the tap, partially screw in a bolt & hit the "bottom" end of the bolt from "within" the distributor with a punch to "back out" each of the two (2) bushings.

3. Quite a few years ago, (maybe 15 years ago), someone cautioned on the other Model A forum that he screwed the tap in the bushing & started hitting the tap whereby the high carbon steel tap shattered & broke and a piece of steel lodged fairly deep under his skin, but missed his eyes.

4. This type of accident also happens quite often when carpenters hit one claw hammer with another claw hammer to drive the claw under the head of the nail.

5. Best to always use ball peen hammers when working with iron. Claw hammers are never safe working with steel in a blacksmith's shop.

Hope this helps.

[Vic in E-TN]

Thanks for all of the good ideas. I will study the video later today.

Vic

[abachman3]

I prefer to use a slightly ground down old short shaft and a press. I have also successfully used a piece of all thread and a ground down washer and by screwing down the washer in the distributor, it draws out the bushings.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Received PM/emails on size tap to use in reply #7 above.

Responded as follows:

"To insure the correct answer, I just found an old Model A distributor bushing "with" cut threads I removed from a few years ago.

I then went to my Harbor Freight assorted tap & die box & tried a 1/2" tap.

It easily screwed right into the old bushing threads. The threads cut were not deep because this old bushing was quite worn.

Just hold your distributor vertically, hold your tap vertically, apply no pressure to the top of tap, turn clockwise, & allow the tap to cut the threads.

On this particular, bushing the threads were cut to the full depth of the bushing.

If you feel a tight "wedging" action, in lieu of a "cutting" action, the tap "may" be able to split the more fragile "top" opening of the distributor; but after removing several bushing from several old distributors, I never had this happen."

Hope this helps.