ok, so i came across this seemingly fantastic how to thread here:
https://mustangforums.com/forum/5-0l...stributor.html

couple problems:
1. i may have unintentionally bypassed some of the early steps. for example, marking where the #1 wire should be. i pulled all the wires, without marking any of the locations because in my brain i thought the #1 wire location was indicated in the plastic part of the housing already. also, i think i may have marked the #1 wire location years ago. lastly, i wasnt thinking clearly when i pulled all the wires off and didnt make sure the location could be found from the plastic or if i had in fact marked it previously.
2. i dont really know what 'stab' means. not really a big issue, but its probably something simple that everyone knows. just pointing that out so you can understand what your dealing with when explaining things to me.


so currently, im in the process of taking apart my engine. 95gt.
i am just about up to the part where i take off the lower intake, which i think requires me to first take off the distributor?
if i need to take off the distributor, am i already screwed if i didnt mark the #1 wire location? i assume not, but i have to ask.

in the morning, i plan to check if i marked it and proceed accordingly.


first question: in the pic of the timing indicator being held by the author, i assume that normally that indicator is attached to the cover or somewhere in the vicinity?

second question: lets say im going to take this distributor out and put it back in later. if i mark the location of the rotor, and dont move the crank at all during my engine take apart-put back together activities, will everything be as i found it if i simply put the distributor back in place so that the rotor is at the mark i made before removal? this would mean that i did not do any removing the #1 plug and turning the crank to check for TDC (0° correct??) and marking the balancer.

if the answer to question 2 is 'no, you have to do everything as indicated in the how to thread', then i have some work to do i guess. i think i recall though that in my manual it shows the positions of the wires on the cap, so maybe im not too screwed.


lastly, there is a greater than 0% chance i will attempt to remove the cam and put a stock cam back in. if i do attempt that, then i am under the impression that i will need to follow every single step of the how to thread i linked at the top, correct? (in addition to anything related specifically to cam removal and replacement)


thanks in advance for any insight!!

 

so today i took off the fan and overflow. picked up a 15/16 socket
took out the number 1 plug and tried to follow the instructions i linked to in the first post.
felt the compression, stopped turning the crank, then tried to look at the balancer to wee where i was at. cant tell. why? because the balancer is too rusty to read. its too rusty to tell if it even has timing marks on it. wtf do i do now?

note: yes, i did not follow the instructions to the letter because i didnt mark the balancer first. i would have done it after my trial run.

thanks to anybody who can help on this

 

1. That is an excellent write up and you should follow it as closely as possible.
2. The manual well show you where #1 should be on the distributor
3. In reference to the timing marks..look closer...they are hard to see, maybe use a scotchbright pad to clean it up
4. Stabbing refers to putting the Distributer back in just stabbing it into the bore as it were..
5. When doing engine work, dont take short cuts. Always check and make sure everything is correct as far as timing...then check again!

 

i checked it today, cap is marked for #1
i know they arent the easiest thing to see, especially if theres a little dirt there, but this thing is rusted. rusted i tell ya! i thought it was aluminum or stainless. i guess not

 

They are actually designed to rust. The outer coating of rust actually protects it.. counter intuitive I know....

 

why not just design it not to rust?
how much protection does it need? a nice stainless steel piece wouldnt work?

 

Well, im not the engineer, Im a mechanic...thats why they make the big bucks right?

 

hey guys

i havent been doing much with the tear down lately, but just got back into it.
so, how the hell does the distributor come off?
i took off the little screw and bracket thing at the base, made a minor effort to pull it off, no dice. does it screw off? pull off? do i need to type of crow bar? wtf?!


second, reading the writeup i linked in the OP, im a little confused about these marks on the distributor and the block. how many marks are on the distributor base, and how many on the block? 2 and 2? 2 and 1? 1 and 2? 1 and 1? it talks about lining up marks to 0 and then you will be at 10. confusing

heres the text from the writeup:

Check the alignment of your distributor in relation to the block. Little known to most, Ford actually provides you with a 0° referance and a 10°BTDC referance point. If you look closely at the base of the distributor you will see a clear cut line in the block. there is a matching mark on the distributor base. This indicates roughly 10°BTDC. The edge of the casting to the left of this mark is 0°.

Set the mark on the distributor to the 0° location.


and then:

Once you have properly aligned the rotor inside the distributor like shown above, turn the distributor so the mark at the base and the mark on the block line up. This will get you close to 10°BTDC, only a timing light will get it perfect.

im thinking the answer is, theres 1 mark on the distributor base, which is 10°BTDC, and theres 1 mark on the block, which is 0°, and it wants me to turn the distributor so the distributor mark lines up with the block mark, thus setting the timing at 10°BTDC?


heres another question, which might be stupid:

i find the compression stroke for cylinder 1, then turn the crank to 0°, then mark the rotor location. ok. but it appears to me that the location of the distributor mark would be important at this point, no? lets say the distributor is not lined up with the 0 mark on the block. ok, i set the crank to 0, mark the rotor. pull the distributor, do whatever im doing, then put the distributor back in and line up the 10°BTDC mark on the distributor with the 0 mark on the block and the rotor should line up with the mark i made. but i made that mark on the rotor when the distributor mark was not lined up with the 0 block mark.

i guess another way to ask what im trying to understand is, if i follow this guide exactly, when im done, my timing will be at 10°BTDC rather than what it was set at before. no?


thanks for any help

 

http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/...utor.aspx?pg=2

 

When you install your distributor, just do a few simple things and you won't have trouble:

1) Make sure the engine is at TDC, #1, compression stroke

2) Drop the distributor into place. The rotor should point roughly at the back inside corner of the driver's side valve cover, or maybe the left rear corner of the intake manifold (to your right as you're looking rearward). If not, lift the distributor, turn the rotor a bit in the proper direction to mesh the drive gears differently, and lower the distributor. Repeat as necessary until the rotor points in the correct direction.

3) Rotate the distributor housing so the vacuum advance is to the front.

This should get it close enough to start. After that, you need a timing light anyway so I wouldn't loose any sleep over not understanding those built-in references.

Oh, and make sure you connect the wires correctly.