Distributor Bushings

Afordman31

Afordman31

Well-known member
Is there a easy way to remove the original distributor bushings in the housing.
Also the best way to keep them from collapsing? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
 
if you can look down the casting and see them and there is no lip in the way like on some of the later castings, then you can drive them out using a socket like a bushing driver. but if there is a lip a better solution would be to get a tap the appropriate size, tap some threads into the old bushings and use a slide hammer or your own home made version to pull them out. on installation the best method for inserting them is to use an arbor press or at least use a small block of hard wood and go easy on it. beating on it will bust the casting.
 
I am now an old hand, having done three. :)

I first watched Mr. Shinn's videos (uses a tap to remove). I was not successful with that method as I didn't trust myself to run the tap deep enough. I was worried about cutting the threads too deep into the sides of the bushings.

So, when I ordered parts (Snyder's), I put the dedicated bushing driver on my list. Works perfectly for both removal and installation. As I replaced the original shaft, the old one also works fine for installation. I didn't like pounding on the first one to get the bushings out/in, so I used a large C-Clamp as a press for the rest.

The very last one I did, the new shaft was 0.005" oversize and would not fit. My reamer cuts 0.500", so reaming didn't work. I used the old split dowel and emery cloth in a hand-drill trick to hone the bushings to size.
 
All previous methods can work, you may also take a small torch and heat the brass bushings on the inside by letting the flame lick all around the interior. You will get smoke and stink in the air- Let it cool all the way down to room temp, then heat it one more time , let it cool. This will help either way to move the brass. You can also sharpen a 16 penny nail like a chisel and catch the edge of the brass and start tapping , you may also need a needle nose pliers to grab the edge and deform the bushing get it out
 
I’ve done a dozen or so over the years. I have been successful about half the time threading a coarse tap into the bushing, then using a brass drift to drive the bushing out. I always try this way first. If the bushing is really worn it will be too large for the tap to engage sufficiently. The other half, I set the body up in a vise and use a hacksaw to cut the bushing. Look carefully at the bushing to find the split, then line up your hacksaw cut immediately opposite.

For installation I use an old upper shaft as a bushing driver. Install the lower bushing first, then the upper.
 
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13mm tap, thread it in and drive it out from the other end with a brass drift. Takes about one minute.
 
As URSUS stated above, use a 13mm tap and an old distributor shaft to drive the bushings out. The 13mm tap will thread into a worn bushing but is not large enough to cut into the distributor housing. Putting a slight taper on the leading end of the bushing with a file or grinder will make it easier to start into the distributor body. By the way, do not forget to clean out the oiler passage as every distributor I have overhauled had a plugged oil passage.

John
 
Thank you all for the information, I made a driver on my lathe and pushed out the bushings. The first one I tried didn't turn out as the top bushing was moving good down to the bottom one, the next thing I knew the bottom broke off the distributor.
The next on I tried I heated the casting and made different arrangement on how to block the casting when pushing.
A word of advice, make extra sure to get the new bushing straight before pushing the new one back in place with the driver.
Thank you for the advice from all of you.
 
I used the old split dowel and emery cloth in a hand-drill trick to hone the bushings to size.
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Which, except for the labor involved is probably the BEST way.

I have a set of the Critchley expansion reamers - you know them as the reamer like device which has six or more "loose" blades - and can be set to take any dimension cut within its range. But they tend to be "grabby" in bronze/brass and one has to "fiddle" a lot with the adjustment nut at either end.

I've thought to use this by using the bushing to be trimmed as the "ring" for setting - using the nuts set the blades to be a "stiff turn" to take off the minimum amount of material. But I fear for grabbing the bushing and turning it in the distributor housing - which right away would defeat the purpose.

Abrasive and a split dowel (and incremental addition of masking tape under the sandpaper) works for sure.

Joe K
 
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