thin distributor plate?

oljoe001

oljoe001

Member
I installed a new distributer plate and was checking my points and notice quite a bit of play. after reading some older post I guess there were 2 different thinknesses where can I get a modern thick plate or will I have to make my plate thicker?
Joe
 
I knew the lower repro plates were made thinner than originals, but I didn't know the top points plate was also thinner. Try Bert's for an original top plate. I always grease the slots and center hole to keep wear down to a minimum and it makes for smoother operation.
 
The repros are not the same as the originals. The center bushing appears to be looser and the metal is just thinner.

In my limited experience I have found the 'worn' originals are not very worn. If you happen to have a bad original plate you can find a good one very cheap. I would highly recommend seeking out an original. You can take up the minor play at the center bushing with a ball end of a hammer.

Out of like 15 or 20 distributers I have and recently gone through I found only few that I would not use. One was rusty and the other did not have a washer at the top of the shaft and worn the top of the dist shaft surface in a funny way. I happened to have one body with no wear at the center bushing and no play (well half a thou) when I put a NOS plate in place. When I put the worn plates on this dist there was only a couple of thou of movement.
So I am going to go out on a limb here and say decent original dist parts should be easy to find and I see used dist are cheap to buy.
 
The spring will hold it up, but you can just take a pair of pliers and put a little twist into each ear which will take out the extra play.
 
I think it was Marco that posted the cure for your problem many years ago. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words....

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Jim Parker Toronto said:
Brent, I think he was referring to the three tabs that go in the slot on the distributor body........ not the center hole.
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The three tabs simply retain the plate in the housing. Other than that they have no function. The center hole is the functional guide. The spring keeps the plate at the top of the retaining groove in the housing.
 
oljoe001 said:
yes but where the advance rod hooks to it it allows the plate to **** sideways which in turn allows the points foot to ride at an angle on the cam. thus wearing faster
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I also think the plate could tilt if it were too thin when the advance/retard lever is moved back and forth. I would try to punch some dimples into the ears to increase the effective thickness. The spring may keep the plate up agaisnt the top of the groove but its not strong enough to prevent tilting. Bill G
 
Bill Goddard said:
I don't think so. It dosn't have the leverage to reach out to the ears.
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Bill, I am of the opinion it only needs to be tight enough (enough spring pressure) to hold the plate ears up against the housing. It really doesn't take much to accomplish this, and generally speaking the it really would not matter if it dropped momentarily during a timing adjustment because as soon as the timing lever is set, the spring will push the ears upward agaist the housing.
 
A fix I have tried is to use a metal center punch to put a dimple in each ear. Bridge the ear over a slightly opened vice, say 1/8 to 3/16 inch gap. This will give you a wider ear thickness to run in the groove in the distributor housing. You still need a snug fit in the center hole of the plate. Use Marcos' fix there. Bob
 
Thanks Guys had not even considered the center hole if it were to loose you would have an inconsistent point gap (better check it as well) the problem I am having is the tabs are to thin. I thought maybe they made a thicker plate. I will take it out and tig silicon bronze and machine it to the correct thickness. Was hoping just to buy one.
 
As others have stated, it really doesn't matter how thin the plate is as it IS spring loaded up against the top of the groove. JMO
Paul in CT
 
I'm really confused. The top plate CAN and WILL wobble within the groove if there is no spring to hold it up! You do NOT want any rotational friction beyond what the spring pressure creates while it is pressing the plate against the top surface of the groove.
 
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I agree with Marco that the top plate being a bit thinner shouldn't cause any problem as long as the center hole is snug. Just grease the center hole and slots and I don't see how it could rock or wobble against the spring pressure.

I'd be more worried about the rotor not being balanced. But, I took care of that problem!:D
 
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