I don't want to say the gear's are stuck together or catching because in that case the shaft housing would still turn. Mine doesn't so I think the PO super glued, double sided taped, spot wleded, and magnatized the stupid thing in place.

 

I didn't suggest that he drive it up from the bottom. Just pull the pan and see what is going on and take it from there.

This is the damndest problem I have ever heard of by the way.....

damndest thing.

 

After looking at the 351 in my garage, and assuming that the front of a 289 is very similar, IMO, the bottom of the distributor is all but inaccesible except through the oil pump drive hole. (see photo on post 9 this thread) It may be possible to see if the drift pinfor the gear is holding the unit in, but I doubt this as being the problem due to the complete lack of movement as described by sxs191.

Maybe the PO used locktite on the top of distributor housing?

Yea, it really sucks when the simplest of projects go south, causing massive amounts of wasted time and money.

About a month ago I rebuilt a medium duty Diesel engine for my dad, I took care of the "important stuff", another guy pulled and replaced the oil pan and some other stuff, well this same guy was driving the truck today, the oil plug fell out, he continued driving for about a mile after noticing the that the truck was smoking, untill the motor "stoped running". Sometimes the simplest things can bite you in the a**.

I think I feel sick....

 

If he did use locktight on it, when heated with the mapp gas that would melt the locktight away if he heated it up sufficiently.

If you can see the bottom of the distributor when you pull the pan, you might try a long drift and maybe tapping it from below.... bwugghhh. That sounds like a losing proposition even as I type it.

I can't believe that if you got a big pair (14"-16") of channel locks that you couldn't twist it. I also have a hard time believing that it would be the drift pin stopping it from being able to be twisted.

Get a bigger pair of channel locks, pick up your skirt andpull like a sumbitch.(make sure youdon't cut yourself on the fan while grunt tugging on the pliers,ask me how I learned that lesson) More leverage is the answer.

"Give me a lever big enough and I can move the world.." I can't remember who said that originally, Archamedies or his ilk.

 

I have the biggest channel locks Home Depot carries, they are at least 14 inches long. I pulled up my skirt, my diaper, and my fishnet stockings and still couldn't get the POS to move. [:@] Maybe I'll try a monkey wrench this evening. More info to follow... Scott

 

yea, a big pipe wrench with a cheater bar might be the ticket,, you could lay some torque down with one of those!

 

Maybe he needs a bigger hammer rather than a bigger wrench... [sm=chairshot.gif]