drk421

So, I had a 351W block rebuilt.

I get the engine back in the car, put the distributor in and notice that it has a little play in the block. I'm not talking about the distributor shaft.

I tried 2 different distributors (MSD and Mallory) and they both have a little bit of play ( about .02" of play).

I looked for cracks and the engine block and I didn't see any. The engine shop says they didn't do any machine work in the distributor housing hole.

The block came out of an 82 Bronco, if that matters.

Any ideas?

boogerschnot

Do you have the little oil seal around the distributor when you slide it in??

drk421

You mean the o-ring that goes around the base of the distributor?

Yeah, good point, maybe I can get a thicker one.

67mustang302

Play which way? Are you saying the outter housing of the dizzy that contacts the block has a tiny bit of play in the bore? An aluminum dizzy will when cold, it expands more than the iron block. My Crane moves easily when the engine is cold, but has a bit more drag when hot, my old MSD did the same thing.

JMD

it won't make any difference... Just pretend you never saw it...

I have neve3r heard anything "bad" about a distributor fitting too loose... but I have seen a lot of threads about them getting STUCK....

The dist "seats" deep in the block, if the top seats well enough to keep oil from escaping it is good enough.

And it will ...

boogerschnot

Really... I remember a guy hooking up a chain hoist to get out his distributor.. Crazy!!

KMatch

A trick to tighten it up if it makes you sleep better, is to use a center punch around the dist where it meets the block. A few (3 or so) dimples around the perimeter raises the metal around the dimple you leave and will allow a pretty snug fit. Use more dimples as needed and you'd be surprised at how much difference it can make. Or, don't bother and still sleep well knowing it's not a problem. This trick will work anytime you need to tighten two components - bearings inside of drums/rotors and whatever. (of course, you'd dimple the drum/rotor and not the bearing race, but you get it...)