Distributor bottom plate

jbc

jbc

Senior Member
Good evening Gentlemen, I've got a question on my distributor. The wire between the upper plate and lower is frayed and I need to replace it. that means removing the lower plate. My question, can I remove the lower plate without unscrewing the armored cable?
Thanks
 
Can someone tell me how to get the plate out without removing the armored cable. I really don't want to remove the cable clamp under a head bolt.
 
Why not just leave the plate in the distributor and solder in a new wire? It would be a tight fit but do-able.
 
There is really nothing to it IF your distributor is removable and not stuck within the head itself.

Disconnect battery;

Remove everything from the distributor that you can;

Remove the set screw on the side of the head holding the distributor in place;

Remove the nut holding the "armored cable" to the head;

Lift the distributor and attached "armored cable" upward and out of the head;

Unscrew the "armored cable" from the distributor;

Fix what need fixing within the distributor;

Then, in reverse of the above, reinstall everything and you are on your way.

BE SAFE and do it right.

Pluck
 
Pluck, you forgot one thing. Drain all the water or at least enough to be below the head gasket to insure none leaks into the cylinder when the clamp nut is removed. Been there, done that.
 
The only thing I would add to what Pluck said is it might be a good idea to reinstall the head nut while you work on the distributor, or some coolant could leak into the cylinder.

If you want to attempt to remove the lower plate while leaving the distributor mounted in the head, then remove the cap, rotor, cam screw, cam, top plate, condenser, then the two screws holding the lower plate and lift the plate up. Hopefully the cable isn't screwed in too tightly. Be sure to use fine stranded wire on the lower plate, and be sure to locate the terminal to the upper plate as Marco has shown on here, and I'm sure it's on his website also. You will have some fun trying to get the large insulating washer and condenser terminal screw in place on the lower plate, while it's mounted in the head, but it should be doable. A screw starter will help.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
The only thing I would add to what Pluck said is it might be a good idea to reinstall the head nut while you work on the distributor, or some coolant could leak into the cylinder.

If you want to attempt to remove the lower plate while leaving the distributor mounted in the head, then remove the cap, rotor, cam screw, cam, top plate, condenser, then the two screws holding the lower plate and lift the plate up. Hopefully the cable isn't screwed in too tightly. Be sure to use fine stranded wire on the lower plate, and be sure to locate the terminal to the upper plate as Marco has shown on here, and I'm sure it's on his website also. You will have some fun trying to get the large insulating washer and condenser terminal screw in place on the lower plate, while it's mounted in the head, but it should be doable. A screw starter will help.
Click to expand...

Good thought Tom...Thanks.

Pluck
 
When you choose wire you need to look at the number of strands --normal primary wire has too few strands, it will break when flexed by moving the advance.

60s cars had special wire for dist leads, I salvaged wire from a chevy dist I found in the scrap pile behind a gas station (in 1968)--it is still in use untouched today --this wire has more than 50 strands--perhaps even 100 strands, the small diameter of the strands allow it to flex thousands and thousands of times, the 8 or so strands of regular wire usually has 100s of flexes before the copper strands start to fatigue.
 
If you decide to remove the armored cable from the head, drain the water before you loosen the head nut. This will insure that water will not leak into your oil while the nut is off. I learned this the hard way.
 
Visit Vince Falter's site for the best wire to get. Now the hobby shops carry a silicon insulated wire high strand count wire used for electric RC cars and planes.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll try soldering a new wire on the lower plate. I had just bought a distributor wire from Bratton. Who knew.
 
Thanks again for all the help. Removed the bottom plate with out removing the distributor, solder on new wire, reassembled and back on the road.
 
Hi,
here is a way one can renove the pop-out cable and clamp.
The next time you remove the head, remove the stud that holds the clamp. Then purchase another stud that is about one inch longer. Remove the old stud, screw in the longer stud then replace the head and torque the nut down. Now slip the clamp with the cable, install another nut and just tighten it down just a little over snug tight.no need to torque it as much as the other nuts as all it holds is the clamp. Now you can remove the clamp and pop out cable without the head gasket leaking.

Another fix is just not to install the clamp at all.
 
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