The Ford Barn

rivcokid · 05-19-2026, 10:58 AM

Hi all - can the ignition cable on a stock 1931 roadster be removed from the distributor without removing the head bolt clamp? I finally got the distributor to release but now I can't get that blankety-blank nut off and with my back, I don't dare go at it too aggressively. And of course, the distributor won't come all the way out with that cable in it. Thanks

Afordman31 · 05-19-2026, 01:20 PM

It would have been nice if it had had a longer head bolt so the head nut would stay tight and to remove the one that holds the clamp down.

Marshall V. Daut · 05-19-2026, 01:38 PM

If you have the original style pop-out ignition switch and armored cable, the answer is no. That nut has to come off first so that the cable housing clamp can be lifted off the stud. Then you have to spin the distributor off the cable end, not the other way around. Kind of a dumb design in retrospect, but it may have been part of Ford's idea to protect owners' cars from theft.
Some modern replacement cable housings are "dummy" housings that look like originals, but are used with replacement switches. They can be screwed out of the distributor while it is still in the head. But a clamp will still complicate matters.
Marshall

rivcokid · 05-19-2026, 03:31 PM

@afordman - Amen! but I have to work with what I have.

@Marshall V. Daut - I was afraid someone would say that! Oh well, I can always hope there's a work-around. Thanks so much for confirming!

Marshall V. Daut · 05-19-2026, 04:36 PM

"@Marshall V. Daut - I was afraid someone would say that!"

Ha, ha, ha! Farethy well said. 'Dunno how much experience you have had repairing Model A's, but whether you be a neophyte or an old hand with scarred-up fingers, all of us Model A lovers will admit that FoMoCo built a ton of "gotcha's" into these cars. You have just encountered one of the more benign, albeit still frustrating, designed features that makes working on Model A's a new sharp stick in the eye every day. Old Henry and his crew did so many things right when creating the Model A; but he/they also ingrained so many repair-challenging aspects into these cars as to drive one nearly insane with frustration. That so many running changes were made during the Model A's production span testifies to the fact that even FoMoCo engineers knew they had made a lot of mistakes on their drafting boards. Needing to pull the distributor from the cylinder head just to separate it from the ignition cable is one of those "Why the H*ll did you people do this???" design features. Welcome to the club!
But you know what? It's these quirks that give the Model A its lovable personality that has endeared it to hundreds of millions of people worldwide for almost 100 years. Although sometimes I would love to b*tch-slap FoMoCo's designers for how they made the Model A such a challenge to repair and restore, I give them credit for creating a wonderful piece of Americana Motoring. How many other century-old machines are more beloved and still useful than the Model A??? With the POSSIBLE exception of the Model T, me thinks the Model A deserves the loving devotion it has earned for itself among us devotees, armored ignition cables notwithstanding.

Marshall

rivcokid · 05-20-2026, 08:05 AM

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@Marshall Daut - I'm wondering if it was because everything was designed on a drafting table and not put through real-life tests. There are several points in the engine, ancillary parts, and especially the dash that seem to be designed with one purpose and the best way to achieve that purpose, but without looking at the broader picture (ie. how do we service this?) Who knows - in the meantime, I'm off to the auto parts store for more penetrating oil!

Marshall V. Daut · 05-20-2026, 09:32 AM

By the way, there are at least two studs in the engine block that will leak coolant if the nuts are not immediately replaced after removal. The stud with the ignition cable is one of those. When you remove the nut from this stud to slide the cable bracket off, be sure to replace the nut right away and tighten it - even though you'll have to take it off again to put the cable bracket back on. If you don't temporarily put that nut back on this stud, coolant will seep past the stud until what's inside the cylinder head has drained. If you are running anti-freeze in the coolant, this will make a real mess. The other stud that will leak is right behind the upper gooseneck water outlet, on the passenger's side of the head's center "hump". I don't recall which number that is. 'Wouldn't help knowing the number anyway unless you had a diagram in front of you with the studs numbered.

Marshall

rivcokid · 05-20-2026, 10:34 AM

Thanks Marshall - however, I took the distributor apart from the inside and left the body there. Have replaced the points now and will adjust later. I'm not going to deal with head nuts!! Thanks for all your comments.

gdmn852 · 05-20-2026, 11:14 AM

Hello, If you do take that clamp off, some people have cut the lower part of it off to have it look like it’s clamping, only hold from the top clamp also as mentioned, use a thin nut and hold it to head nut for removal next time. The reason it was done that way at the factory was to prevent theft, Cars got stolen even then , that’s how Baby Face Nelson started his criminal career.

rivcokid · 05-20-2026, 03:58 PM

@gdman852 - That is one idea. Quite frankly, I'm at a loss as to the purpose of the clamp. It's not like the ignition cable has an extra 3 feet of length that has to be supported and kept out of the way. I had thought about trying to cut the clamp and bend it back to get the cable out, but figured that would be a mess also. In the end, I got the new points installed which is what I wanted to do - I just wanted to do it on the bench and not on the car itself. C'est la vie!

Fullraceflathead · 05-21-2026, 10:17 AM

The original design of having that clamp was 1 of the ways ford Help prevent auto theft apparently there was a lot of auto theft in the early days of the motor car!!!

rotorwrench · 05-21-2026, 12:03 PM

It's always a risk to remove that #8 head bolt from the clamp but there is no way around it. It's worth the chance to get the distributor out to check it out or re-bush the breaker cam shaft bore if worn. Depending how long the distributor has been in there, there is also a chance that the shaft is all rusted up. The bore is guaranteed to condense moisture in there and the corrosion can get pretty bad.

05-19-2026, 10:58 AM	#1
rivcokid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 226	Ignition cable removal Hi all - can the ignition cable on a stock 1931 roadster be removed from the distributor without removing the head bolt clamp? I finally got the distributor to release but now I can't get that blankety-blank nut off and with my back, I don't dare go at it too aggressively. And of course, the distributor won't come all the way out with that cable in it. Thanks

05-19-2026, 01:38 PM	#3
Marshall V. Daut Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Davenport, Iowa Posts: 2,900	Re: Ignition cable removal If you have the original style pop-out ignition switch and armored cable, the answer is no. That nut has to come off first so that the cable housing clamp can be lifted off the stud. Then you have to spin the distributor off the cable end, not the other way around. Kind of a dumb design in retrospect, but it may have been part of Ford's idea to protect owners' cars from theft. Some modern replacement cable housings are "dummy" housings that look like originals, but are used with replacement switches. They can be screwed out of the distributor while it is still in the head. But a clamp will still complicate matters. Marshall

05-19-2026, 03:31 PM	#4
rivcokid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 226	Re: Ignition cable removal @afordman - Amen! but I have to work with what I have. @Marshall V. Daut - I was afraid someone would say that! Oh well, I can always hope there's a work-around. Thanks so much for confirming!

05-19-2026, 04:36 PM	#5
Marshall V. Daut Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Davenport, Iowa Posts: 2,900	Re: Ignition cable removal "@Marshall V. Daut - I was afraid someone would say that!" Ha, ha, ha! Farethy well said. 'Dunno how much experience you have had repairing Model A's, but whether you be a neophyte or an old hand with scarred-up fingers, all of us Model A lovers will admit that FoMoCo built a ton of "gotcha's" into these cars. You have just encountered one of the more benign, albeit still frustrating, designed features that makes working on Model A's a new sharp stick in the eye every day. Old Henry and his crew did so many things right when creating the Model A; but he/they also ingrained so many repair-challenging aspects into these cars as to drive one nearly insane with frustration. That so many running changes were made during the Model A's production span testifies to the fact that even FoMoCo engineers knew they had made a lot of mistakes on their drafting boards. Needing to pull the distributor from the cylinder head just to separate it from the ignition cable is one of those "Why the Hll did you people do this???" design features. Welcome to the club! But you know what? It's these quirks that give the Model A its lovable personality that has endeared it to hundreds of millions of people worldwide for almost 100 years. Although sometimes I would love to btch-slap FoMoCo's designers for how they made the Model A such a challenge to repair and restore, I give them credit for creating a wonderful piece of Americana Motoring. How many other century-old machines are more beloved and still useful than the Model A??? With the POSSIBLE exception of the Model T, me thinks the Model A deserves the loving devotion it has earned for itself among us devotees, armored ignition cables notwithstanding. Marshall

05-20-2026, 08:05 AM	#6
rivcokid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 226	Re: Ignition cable removal Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) @Marshall Daut - I'm wondering if it was because everything was designed on a drafting table and not put through real-life tests. There are several points in the engine, ancillary parts, and especially the dash that seem to be designed with one purpose and the best way to achieve that purpose, but without looking at the broader picture (ie. how do we service this?) Who knows - in the meantime, I'm off to the auto parts store for more penetrating oil!

05-20-2026, 09:32 AM	#7
Marshall V. Daut Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Davenport, Iowa Posts: 2,900	Re: Ignition cable removal By the way, there are at least two studs in the engine block that will leak coolant if the nuts are not immediately replaced after removal. The stud with the ignition cable is one of those. When you remove the nut from this stud to slide the cable bracket off, be sure to replace the nut right away and tighten it - even though you'll have to take it off again to put the cable bracket back on. If you don't temporarily put that nut back on this stud, coolant will seep past the stud until what's inside the cylinder head has drained. If you are running anti-freeze in the coolant, this will make a real mess. The other stud that will leak is right behind the upper gooseneck water outlet, on the passenger's side of the head's center "hump". I don't recall which number that is. 'Wouldn't help knowing the number anyway unless you had a diagram in front of you with the studs numbered. Marshall

05-20-2026, 10:34 AM	#8
rivcokid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 226	Re: Ignition cable removal Thanks Marshall - however, I took the distributor apart from the inside and left the body there. Have replaced the points now and will adjust later. I'm not going to deal with head nuts!! Thanks for all your comments.

05-20-2026, 11:14 AM	#9
gdmn852 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Erie Pa Posts: 1,114	Re: Ignition cable removal Hello, If you do take that clamp off, some people have cut the lower part of it off to have it look like it’s clamping, only hold from the top clamp also as mentioned, use a thin nut and hold it to head nut for removal next time. The reason it was done that way at the factory was to prevent theft, Cars got stolen even then , that’s how Baby Face Nelson started his criminal career.

05-20-2026, 03:58 PM	#10
rivcokid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 226	Re: Ignition cable removal @gdman852 - That is one idea. Quite frankly, I'm at a loss as to the purpose of the clamp. It's not like the ignition cable has an extra 3 feet of length that has to be supported and kept out of the way. I had thought about trying to cut the clamp and bend it back to get the cable out, but figured that would be a mess also. In the end, I got the new points installed which is what I wanted to do - I just wanted to do it on the bench and not on the car itself. C'est la vie!

05-21-2026, 10:17 AM	#11
Fullraceflathead Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Chillicothe, Missouri Posts: 1,852	Re: Ignition cable removal The original design of having that clamp was 1 of the ways ford Help prevent auto theft apparently there was a lot of auto theft in the early days of the motor car!!! __________________ "If I asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses." -Henry Ford "Primitive technology is not a design flaw" 1928 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup 1930 Gordon Smith Air Compressor 1941 Willy's Pickup 1960 Thunderbird-For Sale 1964 Buick Riviera 2x4 425 1965 Pontiac GTO, 455 Super Duty 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10, V-10 Viper 1977 Charger Jet Boat,460 Ford,Jacuzzi Jet Front Engine Nostalgia Dragster,Supercharged 296 "Fullrace Flathead" Ford Engine Build up on DVD ask

05-21-2026, 12:03 PM	#12
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 18,011	Re: Ignition cable removal It's always a risk to remove that #8 head bolt from the clamp but there is no way around it. It's worth the chance to get the distributor out to check it out or re-bush the breaker cam shaft bore if worn. Depending how long the distributor has been in there, there is also a chance that the shaft is all rusted up. The bore is guaranteed to condense moisture in there and the corrosion can get pretty bad.